Life Goes On
by herpaderpproductions
Summary: [Post-series] Saya and Haji work to move on with their lives after the events in New York. With no battle to fight, but others still interested in their lives, they try to pick up the pieces.
1. Chapter 1 - Kai

A/N: The summary makes this seem much grimmer than it is. I feel like they needed a happier ending or something of the sort because my guilty pleasure is happy endings. This is mainly just based off of interesting scenarios I thought might put an interesting twist on things or cause only mild conflict for Haji and Saya.

Of course, these scenarios meant some things had to be a bit changed. With the timeline of the show, we could assume that Saya arrives back in Okinawa somewhere in the middle of her senior year, but here I'll move that up a bit so she arrives just in time for the school year to start. Saya also won't be going into hibernation, because that would alter some of the scenarios.

This will be a series of related (and chronological) One, Two, and maybe Three-shots mostly told from the perspectives of people who are not Saya or Haji, although a few chapters may be from their perspective.

(Extra note: No, I don't think Haji's dumb or naïve, but I don't think he's one to keep up with modern slang and technology and such, so those situations might come up)

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Chapter 1: Introduction to a New Normal

Told from Kai Miyagusku's perspective

I knew something was up when Saya left her party. I was afraid that she had gone into hibernation – it was what the party was for, after all – for those of us who wouldn't likely live another thirty years to see her one last time. When I followed her outside, however, she was gone. As soon as I returned inside to warn the others of what I assumed was one of the stray chiropterans left in the aftermath of Cinq Fleche's experiments, David held up his hand to stop me.

"Kai. Don't worry about it. We have not detected any activity here recently. I'm sure she had a good reason to leave," he said.

"But what if she fell asleep in some ditch?!" I yelled, turning heads towards me.

"Kai. Julia found in her blood test a drop in the hormones we believe are tied to hibernations. She does not believe Saya will hibernate just yet," David calmly stated, "I'm sure she's told you that."

"So what is it then?"

"I don't know, but I bet she has a good reason for whatever it is. If we have no word from her by midnight, I will send out a search party." And so the wait began.

One hour later, Julia's cell phone rang. Although she'd been getting calls throughout the party from her patients and coworkers at the clinic that she generally ignored, she immediately picked this one up and left the room. I was tempted to follow, but I was currently trapped in a conversation with Joel about the possibility of getting custody of Diva and Riku's children. Running out on the talk would only serve to convince him I wasn't ready for the responsibility.

Two minutes after she began the call, Julia tapped me on the shoulder. "Kai, Saya is safe and awake. She did not elaborate on where she was, but said she would return by dawn."

"What is she doing? Sneaking out with boys or something," I replied annoyed.

"That's confidential," she replied with a gentle smile.

The rest of the party finished smoothly, and afterwards I was determined to wait up until Saya returned. Around three in the morning, I could not stay awake any longer and fell asleep on the kitchen table. I was so dead asleep that I didn't notice the two individuals who snuck in through the back door early in the morning.

* * *

When I woke up, it was already 11am. Well, I'd missed opening for the breakfast rush. I woke up and began my search for Saya. She should have been home long ago. Saya's school shoes and bag were gone, indicating she had indeed not gone into hibernation but instead was sentenced to another day at that boring old high school. Her running shoes, the ones she put on when she left the party last night, were caked in mud and left clumsily by the door. What was unusual was the larger, fancier set of men's shoes that were equally as muddy next to hers.

Did she bring a boy home? The thought made me angry. Sure, I'd accepted her relationship with Haji, but any other guy was not okay, and I wasn't so sure Haji would be back already if he was alive at all. Any injuries he sustained had to have been brutal.

I stalked up the steps, hoping to find Saya's male guest in her room. I didn't bother to knock before slamming open the door. "HEY! GET OUT OF-"

I paused halfway through my sentence. I didn't know whether to be happy or outraged. It wasn't any guy in her room – it was Haji. He'd come back. No wonder she'd left the party. She must have been ecstatic to have him back. Showing once again how near disgusting his devotion was for her, he had also already managed to make her bed and tidy up her usually disastrous room.

"Hello, Kai," he stoically greeted me.

"Hello, Haji." I paused. Should I hug him or what? I mean, he was important to my sister, but I didn't know how to treat him after New York. What else could I do? "Haji, would you like to talk?"

He nodded. If that was what I was going to get out of him, I could accept it as better than nothing. Maybe he would change without the stress of battle, or with Saya by his side in the way he had always wanted. For now he was still as quiet as before. His appearance _had_ changed slightly: instead of that normally crisp and clean suit he seemed to live in, he was wearing a slightly muddy pair of black slacks with an untucked white button-up shirt on top. So there was that. At least the clothes weren't wrinkled.

"Kai?" Haji obviously noticed my angry look.

"Yeah – sorry," I said sloppily. Sure, I'd grown up a bit during our whole ordeal, but that hadn't made me that much more articulate. What was I supposed to say here? "So… What took you so long?" Probably not the right question, but whatever.

"I managed to escape the opera house, but I was severely injured. It took a month of recovery before I could get here," his even voice explained.

"New York's very far, though – how'd you get here?"

"I ran into Joel. He paid for a flight," he explained. I suppose that was a good answer. Maybe. Joel understood that Haji and Saya should be together.

"So what are you gonna do now? I need some help in the kitchen here. Doesn't mean you have to," I offered, entirely unsure if he even knew how to cook.

"I may have time, but I intend to escort Saya to and from her school every day."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it Haji. You wanna spend time with her. I don't care if you spend nights in her room or take the afternoons off or whatever."

"Previously you would have had a fit about that," he praised me. Well, it wasn't exactly praise, more like an observation, but it at least wasn't a look of contempt.

"Don't take advantage of it, though," I said, attempting to intimidate him. Sure, I accepted their relationship, but that didn't mean I wanted to witness their relationship in action.

"Of course. I will also need time to work on a project for Joel," he informed me.

"What?" I was surprised Joel would ask Haji for help, and somewhat more surprised that he would agree. Something was sketchy about this.

"We are keeping it from Saya, so I cannot tell you the details." Well, if I wasn't worried this was sketchy before, now I was. "I will be helping some of Joel's colleagues in the role of a historical design consultant. They are working with the French government to restore historical sites. Joel assumed I would do a good job with one of their current projects because I was alive during the 19th Century." Well, that made sense. Why Saya wouldn't be allowed to know, I had no idea. If Haji was on board I could at least have some comfort in knowing he had Saya's best interest in mind.

"At least I won't need to bug you about getting a hobby. I can tease you about your lack of computer skills, though," I laughed.

"I will not be using a computer or a phone for this. I will be meeting with them regularly and drafting or writing out plans. They will also be sending me materials to review and approve."

"But can you help me out in all that free time you'll have?"

"I am only capable of cooking French food."

"Well, that's probably harder than what we make here. Or you could just bring food to tables and dirty plates back. Or pour drinks," I assured him, "I need someone to do late nights and early mornings, and you don't sleep, so I figure that'd be best. I can teach you what you'll need to know while Saya's at school"

He nodded in understanding, "I will help when I can." It was obvious he wasn't enthused about it, but he probably had nothing better to do than watch Saya sleep at those hours, so maybe he would get bored enough to help out.

In the meantime, I figured he had more to worry about. He knew next to nothing about technology, probably due to his own efforts, so he had to learn that (if he even wanted to). Then there was the clothing situation. I would have to get him more than one outfit. Maybe David would force Joel to fix it. While the Omoro was doing well since I had returned, I did not quite have the money to buy an entire wardrobe for someone, much less someone with formal tastes like Haji. And there was always the language problem – Haji was well-traveled, and spoke quite a few languages he'd picked up over the years, but Japanese apparently hadn't been one of them. He made an effort to become conversationally fluent, but his accent was still too strong for most Japanese-speakers. Since I knew English and had learned some French, that's usually what I'd communicate to him with. Sure, I still did have a strong customer base from the US military, and he'd be fine with them, but local customers were becoming more common. When I started to sell hard-to-get foreign coffees, teas, and wines courtesy of Joel's trade business, both groups only came in more. And if Haji started cooking authentic French cuisine in the perfect way I assumed he did… well, he'd be screwed. The Japanese residents had recently mourned the loss of the island's only authentic French restaurant.

"Before that, we've got a ton to do," I said, "You need clothes. We can get Saya on the way back."

He opened his mouth to protest, but quietly followed. While I was surprised he agreed with no protest, I knew he wasn't dumb. He understood that he would need to make changes if he was to stay with Saya, and perhaps now that there was no real threat he would be willing to do what was needed.

* * *

Later that evening I sat in the back of the Omoro, recovering from tonight's dinner rush and my painful shopping trip with Haji.

After getting David to send funds to my account for the trip, we had set out for a very frustrating afternoon. I was right that he understood the need for making himself more modern, but I underestimated his desire for a lack of change. Instead of trying to get something remotely casual or stylish or varied, he stuck to pair after pair of black slacks and white button-ups. I managed to get him to buy a few short sleeve shirts. I never knew men's fashion could piss me off so much. Seriously, he was way too stuffy and boring for a seemingly 22-year-old pretty boy. The cell phone he wanted (after I convinced him it was necessary to get one) was offensively old. His "new" watch? Old fashioned. Basic hygiene products? Basic as hell.

That shopping trip was worth it, though, when I saw Saya's reaction to it. She was shocked, but was badly trying to hide her relief. Obviously, despite her love and respect for Haji, even she did not appreciate the patience it took to catch him up with modern technology.

I couldn't say it was off to the best start, but the painful part of Haji moving in was (hopefully) over. It could only go up from here

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Interlude 1

A/N: These interludes will include the more serious/boring stuff, and will be focused on the hearings about the MET bombing. Some things will be written as would be heard by the public, some of it will be more directly from the testimony. This chapter is the former.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

 **Testimony in MET Bombing Hearing Ends**

Washington, D.C. – After only one week of testimony, testimony in the military hearing concerning the MET bombing has concluded. The only two surviving accused individuals admitted guilt and reportedly described their role in the bombings.

According to the official release, the bombing was related to illegal human experimentation being done by private entity in cooperation with corrupt military officials. Those involved were being killed off by a separate group attempting to stop the experimentation.

Details on the situation are not fully available, and politicians in both Europe and North America have declared to know more about this situation. The two defendants were high up in the scheme, but were not aware of all of the details. All of the members of their faction that would know more than them were reportedly killed and the records were destroyed, so there was little for military officials to gain from this hearing.

Lawmakers are demanding the release of the report generated from this hearing when available, however the military officials refuse to release the report without first heavily censoring information. They claim this is a measure to protect against further experimentation of this kind.

* * *

 **MET Bombing Getting a Second Look**

New York – While the U.S. military hearing did not turn up much information on what was truly behind the MET bombing, and did not reveal what exactly the illegal human experimentations performed were, the U.N. hopes to glean the information from those that stopped the experiments.

As previously reported, all high-ranking members of the organization performing the illegal experiments were killed by another organization that tried to prevent these experiments from the shadows. The U.N. does not intend to charge the individuals involved in this organization because no illegal actions were taken outside of those necessary to stop these experiments, they are interested to know what this group knows. At least one U.N. Ambassador has been quoted on record as saying he believes this rival organization knew just as much about the experiments as those carrying them out.

The U.N. hopes to begin their investigation and hearings as soon as is convenient for those involved. As with the U.S. military investigation, any information gleaned from this will likely be kept under lock and key outside of a heavily redacted report.

We will release more information when we get it.

* * *

A/N: Short, but sweet. Further interludes will include specific "transcripts" of the hearings and such. (P.S. I know the hearing went quickly, but I'd imagine with a scandal of this magnitude, they'd be trying to figure everything out ASAP)


	3. Chapter 2 - Kaori

A/N: I've always felt that Kaori was a lot more interesting than we got to see, or at least has an interesting internal monologue.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Chapter 2: Saya's Man

Told from Kaori Kinjou's perspective

It had been a little more than a month since Saya had returned, and we were about that far into our senior year of high school. She wasn't really the same as before she'd left. She tried to put on a happy face for me, but it was easy to tell that whatever had happened had changed Saya.

I had heard the rumors that she had killed her father and ran away with her brothers, only to kill Riku. Those rumors were quieted when the information came out of those hearings. Apparently those experiments were happening at the local military base, and our classmates had been convinced that Saya's Dad had been a victim of them. That would explain Saya, Riku, and Kai leaving. They must have moved in with relatives abroad until Kai was old enough to live on his own. No one would speculate about what happened to Riku.

I had heard the rumors, but I'd never listened to them. I didn't even demand an explanation from Saya herself. There was enough to tell me that she had been taken care of, and she has a family of sorts surrounding her now. That was enough, just to know that she was safe and still my friend. As long as she is still herself, I don't care what happened in that year and a half. In some ways, I didn't want to know. I'm not dumb – I know something happened – but I also know that finding out whatever happened is something that may change our relationship, and I don't want that.

Recently, I'd become more curious, but I've managed to stick to my guns. I know that smile is fake, I know she's in pain. Saya's been looking really tired and sleeping in class. She even occasionally skips track and field practice to go sleep. Her smiles never reach her eyes anymore; her voice is always quieter than I remember. I wanted to find out that ordeal and how to cheer her up, but I can tell she's been feeling at least slightly better these past few days. It all started at that party last week with her makeshift family…

* * *

When I was invited to a party for family and friends of Saya, I was a bit confused. Her birthday wasn't until August, and there was nothing to celebrate. I was surprised at all the people that had shown up. Saya had apparently made a lot of new friends during her time away. During the party, I was so caught up meeting these new people that I had not noticed that Saya had slipped out of the party until Kai had begun to ask around about her whereabouts.

After Saya's doctor – Julia, I believe – had managed to calm Kai down, the party wound down and people began to part ways to embark on their various journeys around the world. I decided to stay a little longer with Kai to see if Saya would return, but when she didn't return by ten, I knew I would have to leave so I could wake up for school the next day.

* * *

The next morning, Saya had come to school before me. The girls in the school were buzzing with the news that a hot European man had dropped Saya off at school in the morning. I wondered if it was the businessman in the wheelchair from the party last night; I thought he had said he was Saya's father or distant relative or something, so maybe he wanted to see her school. The more I heard, the lower the possibility was that it was him. This man, they said, had gorgeous shoulder-length dark brown hair, and had the physique of a somewhat skinny male model. His features were elegant and somewhat androgynous, and his clothes "artfully messy," whatever that meant.

"Good morning, Kaori," Saya greeted with a smile, snapping me out of my snooping. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen on her face since she returned to school. Who knew sneaking away from her party to spend the night with some European guy could've cheered her up so much, but if that was what it had taken…

"Ah, good morning Saya."

"I'm sorry I ran off from the party," she blushed, "I had somethi- someone important to see."

"I heard," I said with humor in my voice. She only turned away and blushed harder. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her blush much since she had returned. Maybe that man really was that important to her. "I'm just kidding. I know you'd only leave if you had a good reason." She turned back to me and nodded, her face returning to its more stoic expression I'd dealt with recently.

The teacher promptly started class, and I did not get another chance to talk to Saya. Even at lunch she avoided me, keeping her face in her phone texting Kai back and forth. At least she was laughing at some of Kai's texts. From what I gathered, he was attempting to go on a shopping trip, but it wasn't working well.

After school, she left quickly when Kai pulled up in his father's old van. In the van, I caught sight of the European man who was seen with Saya this morning. It wasn't a good look, but I could tell where the girls were coming from about his looks. What they hadn't mentioned was his eyes: beautiful, piercing, blue, and stuck on Saya. At least if she had taken off for a guy, it was someone who seemed interested in her.

* * *

Two days after that – today – I find myself wandering towards the Omoro again. In her haste to leave, probably to see that man, she had forgotten her school bag. The first test of the year in English is tomorrow, so Saya probably needs her study materials. I say that although I know Saya is almost fluent from living with George and helping at the Omoro. It's really just an excuse to see my friend. These past few days she hasn't spent much time with me at all, and hasn't attended a single track and field practice. I'm afraid that man is taking her away from me.

I open the front door of the Omoro to a lively crowd. Regulars are huddled around the counter watching someone cook while a few guests eat burgers and drink coffee. Kai is chatting with a few of them, who are apparently new arrivals at the military base. As I enter, the chef those regulars are watching lifts his head up to see who has arrived, but I can't quite catch any details other than a head of dark, silky hair.

Before I can walk to the door at the back that leads to the living area, a cold hand stops me. It's the chef, who is apparently that man Saya's been hanging out with. Perhaps he's an employee Kai's hired to help out, after all business was picking up. I assumed it was because those girls who had crushes on Kai wanted to swoon over him, but from the look of it the crowd was mostly American soldiers looking for "authentic" American food.

"You're not allowed there," he calmly states in strongly accented Japanese.

I held up Saya's book bag, trying to figure how to respond. He looks confused, but thankfully Kai noticed us. He says something I can't understand in what I can only assume was French to the man, and the man returns to his cooking.

Kai apologizes to me hurriedly. "Sorry 'bout that! That's Haji. He's Saya's… Saya's… Well, something. I don't know what he is to her officially. He just arrived here a few days ago, so he hasn't met you yet. I'll tell him to let you back there. Saya's upstairs in her room." Well, at least I knew the man's name now: Haji. Kai's explanation as to his relationship with Saya was unenlightening, to say the least. What the hell did "officially" mean when describing a relationship? That they were trying to keep their relationship a secret, but everyone around them knew or something? Perhaps he was an employee of her father, a body guard or sorts, but didn't have an official job title? Either way, it was confusing.

I find myself jerked out of my thought process when I find myself at Saya's door. I knock, but no answer comes from inside, so I enter. Saya's room is cleaner than I've ever seen it, and the bed is in pristine condition. The piles of clothes that would normally be falling out of her closet and drawers are apparently controlled, as both closet and dresser are closed completely. A giant coffin-like case sits in a corner, and an oddly shaped katana is propped up next to it. Saya is asleep at her desk, her English book open under her head. She twitches as I approach.

"Kaori," she yawns out, "What are you doing here?"

"You forgot your notes at school," I explain.

"Ah, thanks so much. Would you like to study a bit?"

We proceed to study for a good half an hour, but it's really me who is doing the studying. As expected, Saya is able to speak English well, so she isn't having any difficulties with the material. Eventually, someone knocks softly at the door.

As if on instinct, Saya quickly gets up and opens the door. It's that man, Haji. Again, he talks to her in French as he hands her a tray of what appears to be an assortment of gourmet French dishes. Saya takes the tray and smiles at him. He remains stoic, but I can see his eyes soften in response to her smile. He softly touches her hand before silently leaving.

"Would you like any Kaori? Haji was cooking for customers, but he brought up the extras he had for us to eat while studying," she offers.

"Sure, but who is he? Kai wouldn't say," I ask her almost flirtatiously. Just like before, she blushes and turns away.

"He's… Well, he's…" So far, she's sounding just like Kai. "I don't really know."

"That's what Kai said when I asked him!"

She blushed more before continuing, "He was the one who stayed with me the entire time I was gone. He was the only constant for me during that time – he protected me and helped me get wherever I needed to go." She pauses, considering what to say before continuing, "If you're asking if we are in a romantic relationship, I'm not really sure. We've confessed to each other, but…" She trails off, leaving that hanging.

"But what?!" How could she not know if she herself is in a romantic relationship?

"I don't know. Our relationship is something I can't describe. It's something between us, something forged in the hardships we've been through together" she said as if I'd understand; I couldn't really – the explanation was redundant, and what wasn't redundant referred to those times I never asked Saya about.

Perhaps, because this relationship seemed like something so tied to those times, I shouldn't endeavor to ask about it further; perhaps it was something that wouldn't change our friendship after all.

* * *

A/N: So, that was an abrupt ending. I hope it brought it full-circle enough, but you never know. Kaori will pop up in future chapters, so this is not the end-end for her in this fic.


	4. Chapter 3 - Saya

**Life Goes On**

A/N: This chapter is a bit more mature than the previous ones, but only has implied mature content, and some talking about mature issues. There will be some more serious parts here as well, but also fluffy moments. There's also a bit of confusion at the end on the part of Kai and company.

I feel like Saya's pretty conflicted at this point about what she should be doing, and what she should act like around Haji. This chapter is about her resolving one point of her internal conflict.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Chapter 3: What Are We?

Told from Saya Otonashi's perspective

Ever since the MET bombing and my sister's death, a weight hung over me. While all the deaths I had caused weighed over me, nothing could sting quite as hard as that question: why was I here? Why hadn't I forced Haji to kill me? Why had I chosen to live?

Haji's return has lifted my spirits. Now, while these questions still weigh on my mind, they do not keep me up at night. Even the nightmares about my victims – Riku, George, and Diva among them – had nearly gone away. If Haji holds my hand while I sleep or plays his cello those dreams would not haunt my sleep. Even though Haji has only been back by my side for a month, it feels like he had never left it in the first place.

With Haji back, and Kai running the Omoro, things seemed close to right again. I was beginning to feel like I could heal from the years of battle and settle into a normal life.

* * *

School was going well, and currently preparations were beginning for the senior field trip next month. Although I had missed the fundraising and planning last year, the school allowed me to go once Joel had paid the fee.

Currently, we were going through other information the school felt we would need as seniors. The rest of the class had apparently learned the information previously, but today the school made sure to reiterate it before the field trip: sex ed. I had never learned anything past Victorian ideals of sex; what I had learned informally had been not applicable – as far as Julia knew, no chiropteran could catch human STDs, and no one left alive could impregnate me. I tried to feign interest, but it was not easy to do under the circumstances.

Instead, my mind drifted to the seemingly endless conversations with friends and family about Haji since his return. I knew they wanted to ask me about my relationship with him during the battle with Diva, but all of them were probably too focused their jobs to do so. Now, with almost no pressure, all of those questions and jabs were bubbling to the surface.

When Haji had informed me that Kai told him that there was to be no "intimate relations" in his house, I was embarrassed; when Kai told me the same thing, I was mortified. Now Kai has gotten into the habit of jokingly reminding us every night before bed. Just last night, he popped in while Haji was shirtless to remind us.

During my transfusions, Julia now tends to send Haji out for a few minutes to ask how our relationship is going. She was tactful, and not straight to the point, but I had realized what she was asking. Thankfully she allows me to dodge the question and does not press further into anything I tell her. Kaori, on the other hand, is convinced we have slept together. She always asks for the juicy details, and dodging the question is no option. I just have to stand the barrage until she gets tired and moves to another subject.

David and Joel don't ask me about the relationship between Haji and I. As David once said, he does not care about what we are to each other as long as the job gets done. More recently, at the party they held for me, they had amended that statement in their intoxication. This time, David admitted flat out that he hadn't cared about our relationship because, as he put it, "if you two were going at it with each other, you probably started long before my grandparents!"

No one else has bothered to ask, and even I'm unclear about what we are. I have some memories of stole kisses at the Zoo, or of Haji dressing me in the morning, but I don't know how far we went with our relationship. Perhaps we didn't even have one and those memories had some other explanation; perhaps I just don't have all my memories back yet and will never have them back.

Now it's after lunch break and one hour into this lesson. My head begins to throb as my eyes are taken by blackness. I stay staring into the distance, trying to pay attention to the lesson as a memory takes hold of my head. Now is not the time for a memory, and yet here one is. Some of my memories have been triggered by things like familiar sights and sounds, but some have come on their own. I hope this is the later. The former would be nice, because if it is related to the lecture it will help me understand how far my relationship with Haji had went, but it would be very embarrassing to remember something like that in class.

A split second later, the memory comes into focus. I see the red walls of my bedroom at the Zoo cloaked in moonlight and I can almost feel my bare skin under those soft sheets. The curtains sway with a gentle summer breeze through the open windows. I feel something heavy draped over my torso – an arm? My hand is combing through hair, but it's not my own. In my memory, I look over at who I am touching; in the present, I feel myself go red with embarrassment.

"Otonashi-san!" The teacher barks out. "What was I just saying?"

I pause, already embarrassed enough by the memory, but now mortified by his question. I can't possibly answer it. Now may be time to pull the one trump card I do have. "S-sensei. I'm feeling weak. Would it be okay to lie down in the nurse's office?"

"Fine," he grumbles. For once I am glad that my "anemia" is known to the school. I could not stand to be in there one more minute. As I walk out of the classroom, I can hear a few girls whispering about me being too immature or prudish for a "big girl lesson." One speculates if I am pregnant in a passed note I see being read. Words like that would once have been unbearable for me to hear; now, with my memories returned, I know they are wrong. I'm the mature one.

* * *

Once I reach the nurse's office, I take the cell phone out of my pocket and began to make arrangements. A quick text to Julia confirmed I could use her guest bedroom tonight. Texting would lessen the chance of anyone hearing, but Haji using a cell phone was miracle enough. If Haji ever texts me, I will wonder who stole his phone. I end up calling him. The phone rings only one time before he picks up.

"H-Haji?" Why am I nervous to talk to him?

"Yes?"

"Would you be willing to go with me to Julia's after school today?"

"Are you not feeling well? Perhaps it would be best to go now," he suggests.

"N-no. It's not that… I'll explain later! The nurse is here," I say before hurriedly hanging up. The nurse isn't here. I am just too timid right now to tell him what was actually happening, or what I really remembered. Surely he remembered at least that night. What will I even say to him? How does one go about remembering something like that and then telling the other person they remember?

* * *

The nurse never comes before the bell rings and Kaori drops my bag by my room. She asks if I need any help, but I insist I'm okay. I can tell she knows Haji will be there to pick me up, he always is these days, so she seems content to rush me to him while giving me a cheeky smile. Before she leaves me, she whispers into my ear, "So, are you going to put what we learned today to use," and runs off.

I'm left with a light blush on my face as Haji approaches me. He remains silent and stoic on the walk to Julia's apartment. I can never be sure, but I wouldn't doubt that he had heard what had caused me to blush. After all, he did consume enough blood to keep his senses heightened. Whether he knew what we had learned was yet to be seen. Kai knew, I'm sure, but Haji wouldn't have heard about it. At least from me – I could never trust Kai not to joke about it.

Upon arrival at Julia's apartment, she opens up the door for us and shows us around. Although she was only a few months along in her pregnancy, she had cut back on hours at the clinic. Today, she would only be working in the evening, which was why I had contacted her. It would be easier to talk to Haji about this if we were as alone as possible. I suppose we could have gone somewhere remote on the island, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Kai would have been out all night looking for us unless we had someone to vouch that I was safe.

Dinner was silent. Julia had left, and Haji was again remaining silent – as if he knew what I had remembered. He was watching me carefully, trying to remain stoic, but I knew him well enough – I knew he was nervous about what I'd say. Even I didn't know. Even I was nervous.

Finally we make our way to the living room. I know I can't wait any longer, but I struggle to figure out what to say. I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind – it's not the right thing, but it's something. I finally am able to say something to him after that memory.

"H- Haji? Would you like to drink some of my blood," I offer. He looks confused. I try to explain myself, "I- I mean, I wonder what it feels like." He's still silent. "Maybe it would help your hand?" I ask, refusing to make eye contact.

He pauses, "Is this really what you have been struggling with?" I can tell he knows it isn't.

"No," I admitted, "but since it's come up, it is something that I would like to know. Please, Haji?"

He pauses. Although he is slowly returning to the less submissive attitude he held before Vietnam, he will still adhere to most of my wishes. Now is one of those times I can see him struggling with whether he should bend to my whims or not. Eventually, he moves next to me and begins to unbutton my blouse to get proper access to my neck.

When he bites down, I initially feel a sting, but soon I begin to a form of euphoria. Experiencing this feeling, I wonder if he would ask me to feed off of him because he was concerned for _me_ or because it provided _him_ with a sort of high. But almost as soon as it starts, I feel my skin healing, and my eyes clear to reveal he is now standing in front of me, no longer feeding.

He begins to unbutton his shirt, possibly planning to offer his neck to me, but I turn away. "I'm fine, Haji. You didn't take that much," I order.

He nods and turns away from me. I can see his brain is once again at work. He turns back. "I will allow it. But only if you tell me what is bothering you," he says. It's one of the few times recently he's gone against me, even if I will get some relief from going along with it.

"I… Well, today, at school, I remembered something from my past. Well, our past. I remembered that night," I explain slowly.

At first he remains stoic, if a bit shocked, but as he realizes what night I am referring to I can see a hint of pink on his cheeks. We both remain quiet for some time, refusing to make eye contact. Julia walks through the door to our tense standoff. Although I barely register her entrance, Haji apparently did not want her to interrupt our… whatever this is. He takes my hand and leads me to the guest bedroom Julia had shown us earlier. I can feel Julia's curious eyes on us until the door shuts behind us.

Haji, trying to hide that he is as nervous as I am, picks me up and puts me on the bed. He kneels before me and holds my hands in his. He looks into my eyes and addresses his concerns, "How do you feel about that memory," he asks as he turns his head away. It was the first time he had asked me about my memories, even those that involved him, so I knew it was important to him.

I don't know what to do, but once again I let my impulses take over and I bend down to give him a kiss. I feel his arms reach out to pull me to the floor.

"Are you sure this is what you want," he almost whispers to me.

"Yes," I shyly answer, "I've never been so sure in my life." I kiss him again, as if to reassure him. He once again lifts me onto the bed and joins me. My nervousness fades away, and once again I feel whole in his arms. Although that night proceeds almost as awkwardly as our first one together all those years ago, I would not have it any other way.

* * *

I wake up the next morning when it is still dark. Haji is awake as always and stares at me, his eyes for once showing something other than a blank look: affection. His lips are curled into a slight smile. When he notices I am awake, he begins to stroke my hair until I fall asleep once again.

* * *

We leave only hours later, before Julia awakens, so that I can make it to school with fresh clothes. I wrote a quick note for Julia to inform her of our departure while Haji neatened the room to the best of his ability.

We are both relieved to find that Kai had not yet awakened, so we are able to quickly get back to our normal morning routine in order to not arouse his suspicion. He probably figured we had simply gotten back late from a hike or something, but was too busy with the breakfast orders to ask us about it. At least that's why I hope he isn't talking to us. The fact that he doesn't make his normal morning jab at our relationship status suggests he has his suspicions.

This morning, our walk to school is silent, but unlike last evening it wasn't for any tension. Instead it was for a new simplicity in our relationship. Before last night, neither of us knew if we were still Chevalier and Queen, if we were friends, acquaintances, lovers, equals in battle, or nothing. Now, our relationship was clarified, and that doesn't require any words. Sure, I'm sure we'll still talk to each other, but for now, all we wanted was each other's' presence.

* * *

Extra:

(Where people are OOC and stuff happens; No longer Saya's POV)

Kai was surprised to see David and Julia come in at the end of the lunch rush. Sure, they came by more often these days, but when they did it was for a quick snack or a chat, not a leave-the-cooking-to-Haji-and-have-a-secret-meeting type of thing. He was convinced the days of secrecy and meetings were over. Apparently not, because they were now all sitting around in his room. While Kai knew they wanted to keep this away from Haji, he didn't get why they had to be this far away. After all, they had interrupted his work.

"So what's this all about," Kai asked, rather annoyed.

David sighed before beginning to explain himself. "I arrived at Julia's apartment this morning after my business trip. Instead of disturbing her, I decided to go into the guest bedroom. There was blood on the walls and I found some bloody sheets by the washer and dryer."

"Yeah, so what does that have to do with me?"

"As I'm sure you heard, Kai, Saya and Haji went to Julia's last night. I believe that the blood is theirs'," David replied. Kai stared at him blankly.

Julia had her own suspicions about what had happened, after all Diva tended to leave rooms a bloody mess after a night with any given Chevalier or suitor, but she kept quiet. Haji and Saya never discussed their relationship in any manner with anyone, so it followed that any change in that relationship would be kept just as quiet. She tried to stay quiet, but she knew she would have to say something eventually.

"Julia! It's your place, you must've let them in," Kai harshly whispered to her.

"I was aware of a tension between the two of them last night," she replied gently. "It's possible they were having a dispute or something. Perhaps they ended up fighting it out."

David didn't appear to buy the explanation, instead staring coldly at Julia. Although Julia was sure David at least considered that Haji and Saya had done the opposite of fighting that night, Kai appeared to be latching on to this alternate explanation.

Kai said he was over Saya, which was true to some extent, but that didn't mean he wanted her to be doing… that stuff… with Haji. Haji had seemed very happy today, or at least happy by Haji standards. Kai had seen a hint of a smile on his face. Once. But it happened. So, although the evidence pointed towards what he didn't want to happen, he was happy to accept Julia's explanation instead. Nevertheless, his mood was dampened, and he stomped out of the room.

Julia and David looked at each other, silently confirming with each other that they were on the same page before following him out. They decided on their way downstairs to stay for a late lunch to see if they could catch an elusive smile from Haji.

Julia suspected that this wasn't the entirety of David's reasoning: David was amused by an angry Kai, and Kai was sure to be riled up by this potential new development. If he accepted that they were fighting, Kai would be angry at Haji for hurting his sister; if he had realized the likely truth, that would lead him to become angry at Haji "defiling" his sister. Julia wouldn't be as amused as David by Kai's antics, but if David was happy, she was happy. She was sure that Saya was feeling much the same way now.

* * *

A/N: So, there you have it. Saya and Haji are a couple, David and Julia are happy, and Kai (despite outward appearances of increased maturity) is still just as overprotective as ever of Saya. The next chapter will be up whenever I get the inspiration to write it.


	5. Interlude 2

A/N: This interlude is boring but necessary. It could've been stretched out into far more chapters, far more words, and far more boredom, but I don't want to write that, and I don't think anyone wants to read that. Fluff and stuff is more fun to write by far.

This includes the summaries presented to lawmakers in the U.N. of interviews conducted with various Red Shield members. Because this is important to Saya and Haji's future, I think it's important to include. Since the U.N. knows how dangerous and deadly the struggle was (and chiropterans are), this chapter addresses why they would find it in their interests (or at least not dangerous) to allow Haji and Saya to live normally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

 **Interviewed: David [REDACTED]**

ROLE: Director of operations of Red Shield's taskforce

SUMMARY: The Red Shield served to stop the use of Diva's blood for experimentation into immortality. These experiments led to the creation of many grotesque creations from humans who had had all will and agency taken away from them, leading to violence and murderous tendencies. Further experimentation led to the creation of high-efficiency, near immortal soldiers through cloning, genetic alteration, and direct transfusion of blood. Although David was unclear on what the purpose of this experimentation and any carried out attacks were, he testified that these experiments were highly unethical and the experiments posed an immense threat to the future of humanity.

The only way to kill those altered by any form of these experiments is through use of [REDACTED – individual is henceforth referred to as "Queen"]'s blood in direct contact. The Queen's blood is not potent after a period of separation from her body, thus rendering it useless to stop the experiments unless she was present to kill the individuals. She has thus killed all of the experiments. She is aided in fighting by an immortal created directly from her blood [REDACTED – individual is henceforth referred to as "Chevalier"]. Both were solely focused on their mission from the initial incident in the 1800s [SEE: Joel [REDACTED]'s testimony], and are now pursuing a normal life. Queen and Chevalier are still sent out to kill any remaining experiments. Any products from Cinq Fleches Pharmaceuticals that were released onto shelves are currently being tracked down and disposed of to prevent any humans from being turned into a danger to society in the future. Those that do turn into dangers through consumption of this can only be killed by Queen and Chevalier, and as such they are sent out at the first knowledge of any transformation.

In David's opinion, neither Queen nor Chevalier poses a threat to society if they are kept in proper care. When asked about the incident in Vietnam, he admitted error by his predecessors, and outlined the cause of the incident along with why it can easily be prevented. David testified that Queen and Chevalier despise drinking human blood, and prefer not to kill, even if a threat is posed.

* * *

 **Interviewed: Joel [REDACTED]**

ROLE: Owner of [REDACTED]; Descendant of original scientist; Leader and financer of Red Shield

SUMMARY: Queen and Diva were extracted from a mummy of a giant bat during the early 1800s. They hatched from cocoon-like structures after blood was accidentally dripped on them. Queen was raised by Joel's ancestor, while Diva was locked in a tower for Joel I's cousin to experiment on. Some 50 years later, Diva was released from her tower during a party at Joel I's estate and proceeded to kill all present and destroy the property. Around this time, both the Chevalier and Joel I's cousin were transformed into creatures similar to Queen and Diva through [INFORMATION REDACTED]. This incident marked the start of the struggle.

Joel I's cousin began to recruit other men to help him carry out experiments using Diva and her blood. They formed many business and military connections, including that with the US military, though these men. Because of this, they began to travel and experiment worldwide. Incidents linked to these experiments and business ties include the Russian Revolution and the Vietnam War. When awake, Queen and Chevalier would travel after them to destroy experimental facilities and kill victims of the experiments. These conflicts culminated in the ultimate destruction of the organization, Cinq Fleches. Incidents linked to this final campaign are the bombing of a research center in Okinawa, Japan; an outbreak of violence at an estate in Vietnam; attacks in Paris and a US Military event, and the bombing at the MET.

Joel currently considers Red Shield's duties done outside of clean-up work and monitoring of Queen and Chevalier. He does not believe that either poses any threat to humans.

* * *

 **Interviewed: Julia [REDACTED]**

ROLE: Head researcher and doctor for Red Shield; Personal physician of [REDACTED]

SUMMARY: Julia was brought into this research during her time getting her MD/PhD by her mentor. She is responsible for care of Queen and Chevalier, and conducts research to further understand their condition.

Queen stopped the process of aging at the age of 16-18, and remained awake for over 50 years before falling into her first period of hibernation. Chevalier was originally human (confirmed via mitochondrial DNA comparison to known descendants of his youngest sister), and acquired immortality at the age of 22. He does not hibernate, sleep, or eat. It is unknown if he is capable of eating for pleasure, although it is known he cannot sleep. Both require bi-weekly transfusions, although this leaves them only slightly more physically adept than a comparable human. If blood is acquired from drinking directly from a human, they may show drastic increases in all physical ability and metabolism. They are considered infertile, as anyone the Chevalier may impregnate is deceased, as is anyone able to impregnate Queen. Julia stated that although she is not sure about the relationship status between Queen and Chevalier (she admitted they have romantic feelings for one another), they will never be able to conceive, so offspring are not a concern for her.

[REDACTED] opposing proteins stimulating genetic changes leading to immortality and strength. If these opposing proteins from [REDACTED] mix, it results in crystallization of the individual or substance in which the proteins interact. The experiments by Cinq Fleches were into how to preserve the protein to properly make people immortal without side effects caused by the protein denaturing shortly after leaving the body. These were unsuccessful. Julia testified that this protein worked to alter the genome of every cell in a body into one that was not human. These genetic changes have not been mapped and are not understood.

Julia does not believe Queen or Chevalier to be threats to humans. She noted that both, but particularly Queen, would rather starve to the point of severe weakness or stunted healing than drink the blood of a human. Chevalier will drink the blood of a human if necessary, but she does not believe he kills them. Both Queen and Chevalier are capable of restricting intake such that they may take small amounts of blood during feeding without killing or causing adverse effects to the individual they choose to feed off of. One of these restricted feedings can sustain them for twice as long as a transfusion and speed up any necessary healing, but will not make them as physically superior to humans as drinking a whole body's worth of blood would do. They may also feed off of each other for sustenance, but this method will only sustain them for up to two to three weeks before one or both requires human blood. She does not believe they will die without blood, although they will become very sickly and weak.

* * *

 **Interviewed: [REDACTED]**

ROLE: "Queen"

SUMMARY: Queen confirmed she was born, raised, and kept at Joel I's estate until the incident in which the building was destroyed. As [REDACTED] testified, she appears to have stopped aging her late teenage years. She claimed responsibility for the release of Diva causing the incident, but claims she did not know Diva's intentions. The known deaths of the subjects of the illegal Cinq Fleches experiments line up with her knowledge of each incident. There is no reason to believe Queen was lying.

Currently, Queen is living in [REDACTED] attending school. This is the first formal education she has received, so she would like to complete it. Because she has no idea of when she will return to hibernation, she currently has no plans of pursuing a college education. She would not confirm what her relationship is with Chevalier.

After being deprived of her blood transfusions for two weeks per request, a test was performed to determine if she would enter a state of dangerous "blood lust" as feared. Queen was exposed to varying amounts of human blood, fresh and frozen, but did not become violent. When interviewed, she admitted she was "horrified" by the thought of killing a human by drinking their blood. One prisoner was provided to her and cut in order to see if she would be tempted. When she refused, we asked her to drink his blood, but demonstrate that she would not kill him even in a starved state. She complied, and drank a small enough amount that the prisoner did not faint and only experienced a mild drop in blood pressure. After this was completed, she was given a transfusion, during which the interview took place.

During the interview, Queen stated she had no desire to attack or kill any humans. She considers humans as much her family as anyone. We should consider her low risk unless she gives us reason to believe otherwise.

* * *

 **Interviewed: [REDACTED]**

ROLE: "Chevalier"

SUMMARY: Chevalier, as previously warned by all other interviewed subjects, is a man of few words, so not much information was gleaned from this interview. His appearance and his word confirmed he was originally human but became immortal in his early 20s. Because he was born into a poor family, he does not have record of his birth, so he is unsure of his exact age; he believes he was 21 or 22. [The latter age was suggested by Julia; humanity confirmed by mtDNA test of relatives as described by Julia] He was not allowed to keep in touch with his family, and has not considered finding them again, instead choosing to stay devoted to Queen.

Under similar testing conditions to that of Queen (two weeks fasting followed by blood exposure), he was equally resistant to drinking, but showed even more refined control than her when asked to drink blood directly from a human. Upon interview, he explained that he did not like drinking blood from humans. When he is not able to get blood through transfusions from the Red Shield, he will drink from humans for sustenance. Chevalier claims he prefers to drink from heavy-set inebriated individuals, as they can lose more blood without the negative side effects faced by those thinner individuals. He prefers inebriated individuals because they are less likely to remember the experience.

Chevalier has no formal education or training, but is fluent in speaking and reading/writing in at least three languages (Russian, French, English) and conversationally adept in several more (Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese). He is also capable of playing the cello. While he is studying independently to prepare for a possible college education in biology, history, and/or music he is working at the restaurant in which he and the Queen live with her adoptive brother. Chevalier is also helping restore Victorian historical sites, including the manner known to him as "The Zoo." He should not be considered a threat, but will be monitored more closely than Queen due to his self-admission of drinking human blood.

* * *

 **RECOMMENDATIONS**

We do not deem Queen or Chevalier a threat. Due to the possibility of attacks by those still affected by the Cinq Fleches experiment, we recommend that both be protected. Because Queen's blood may not be countered, her blood should be considered highly hazardous, and thus we should protect all information regarding her whereabouts, including restricting all information about this case. Any leaked information from our inquest could lead to the discovery of her location, and thus the use of her blood in similarly grotesque experiments with no way to stop any products of the experiments.

Red Shield should remain under observation and report all of their findings to us, along with confirmations of the destruction of all material created by Cinq Fleches that could lead to the harm of individuals. We will aid them in creating a facility in which to perform highly monitored experiments on the nature of immortality. All research in this facility must go through a rigorous review process before review, and must be approved by both Queen and Chevalier.

A permanent unbiased staff member at the U.N. will be retained in order to facilitate open communication among all parties and advocate for the proper maintenance of such information.

* * *

 **For Public Release:**

The U.N. hearing has determined that nearly all threats related to the bombing at the MET and the illegal human experiments performed by the Cinq Fleches organization have been eliminated. Those deemed not a threat are being monitored, while any residual potential for attacks are being dealt with. Due to the possibility than information obtained from this investigation may lead to more illegal and highly dangerous human experimentation, all information has been kept in writing and shall be destroyed as necessary. No documents shall be released to the public.

* * *

Extra: The DNA Test

Steve finally had the day off work from his monotonous job. It made him a good enough living to support his wife and three kids, but that didn't mean he liked it. Usually he would be happy to get the day off, but considering that it was the company who insisted he should stay home, he became concerned about what would happen. Was he being investigated or fired, or had they just noticed that he was as tired as he felt?

Eventually he found out why they told him to stay when he heard a loud knocking on his door. He opened it to two intimidating individuals: a U.N. security guard and an accompanying doctor. He froze.

"Mr. Benoit, I presume?" The doctor inquired. Steve nodded. "We need to take a blood sample."

"Why? What did I do?" Steve panicked.

"You did nothing. We need to confirm the identity of a potential family member," he explained. Steve did not know who that could be: all of his family members were accounted for, and he wouldn't believe that anyone in his close knit family could have had a child from an affair without him knowing. Perhaps it was a dark family secret of some sort?

"And you're sure this is right? There's no way I have any illegitimate relatives," Steve tried to reason.

"That's not what I said," the doctor responded as he wormed himself and his equipment inside. Steve paused.

"So who is it then?"

"I can't release that information," he said, "honestly, they didn't even reveal it to me, just what I needed to obtain."

"Just tell me who 'they' are before you do anything."

"The U.N., if you couldn't tell by my clothes. I believe it's related to that hearing that's going on, about the illegal human experimentation," he said. Sure, Steve had heard of it, but he hadn't known anyone affected. Now his relative (apparently) was. "It could also be related to the property they're restoring in France. I heard they found a mass grave there containing the bodies of the servants from the household." Well, if that was the alternative, Steve could not decide what he'd rather be the truth: experimentation and mass murder sounded equally awful.

"Fine. Do what you want," he said.

The doctor quickly went about his business and left the house. After watching out his window to confirm their departure, Steve dug into the binder he'd previously long ignored. The binder in question was a genealogy of his mother's side of the family, as put together by his sister. He went down the lineage to the families from France, to see what happened to those relatives. His mother, grandmother, and great grandmother in that single line all had their offspring accounted for. The only French relative that was unaccounted for was in his great-great grandmother's generation: one of her brothers, Haji.

At the last family reunion, his sister had droned on about the project, and had mentioned the females in his great-great grandmother's generation had kept a communal family diary of sorts. She had translated it over the past year, and sent it to him as an addendum to the binder. He'd put it in without caring to read it. After all, it was probably just as dry as the rest of the binder. Now he had a reason to read it: it may give him the answer to who the U.N. wanted his DNA to "identify." Perhaps the diary would reveal it was nothing at all.

His afternoon was spent reading the entries from 1870 – that's when the genealogy said he left the family and was afterwards unaccounted for. Finally, after an hour or so, his answer for Haji's disappearance came: the family had fallen on very hard times. In their desperation, they sold their 10-year-old son to a wealthy man passing through town. They knew he lived on a nearby chateau, and his parents figured they could use the money more than their son.

Steve read on as the sisters expressed concerns about this sale, because the manor had bad rumors around it. Supposedly an un-aging, undying girl lived on it (a witch?), and the owner was known to be an eccentric business man who killed or otherwise experimented on his staff. Twelve years later, the sisters had long since moved away from their parents to Paris, but the news that the chateau they left their brother to had burned and all servants and residents were presumed dead reached them quickly. They mourned their brother, but hoped he had escaped. Even then, none of them seemed to agree on if he had even survived that long.

Recalling what the man at the U.N. had said, he looked at any press releases or information they had released on world heritage sites. Although he was skeptical, he looked through the press releases only to find that they were restoring a historically important (and supposedly cursed) chateau in France, in partnership with the French government, several historical societies, and a few large corporations. The chateau in question? The one Haji was sold to.

* * *

A/N: Boring, possibly lazily written, etc. etc.

But it had to be done because we needed some reason for Saya and Haji to not be cooped up in a research lab, so there it was.


	6. Chapter 4 - Haji

A/N: A field trip story is a common fanfiction and anime cliché that the characters go on some overnight field trip. Blood+ had a day trip, but you know, the fanfiction needed to happen eventually. I guess it's not a whole fanfic, but rather a chapter.

The hardest part of writing this would have to be deciding whose perspective to write this from. A class rep would've been best, but that would lead to less fluff in the chapter. Kaori could've been interesting, but she'd be better as a background character of sorts. I was close to writing this in Saya's perspective, but I thought this would be a good opportunity for some insight into Haji's navigation of modern society and interaction.

I don't think that Haji's a stickler for the old times, just unwilling to adjust. He was so into his routine of protecting Saya for over a century that he doesn't want to get out of that routine. After all, who is he if he's not a chevalier or cooped up at the Zoo singularly devoted to Saya. I think part of where he is at this point is due to a fear of developing a self outside of her (not in breaking up, but in having his own agency to do things and have hobbies).

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Chapter 4: Being (in)human

Told from Haji's Perspective

Adjusting to modern times had been easy. Being awake for over 120 years had lead me to become used to adjustment with all of the political and cultural changes. Adjusting to modern culture had not been quite as intuitive. I may be well traveled in time and country, but that did not mean I typically engaged with the culture; instead, I preferred to stay in the shadows of back alleys and watch quietly. The most interaction I actively pursued was through playing my cello on the streets, and that was only because I knew I could use the money later for travel expenses and food and clothing for Saya. It is quite easy to amass large amounts of money when you do not require food, much clothing, and shelter.

After I had returned to Okinawa, that money had not mattered much – Joel had taken my role of providing for her. I am aware it is in a fatherly role and out of obligation, but I am not too enthusiastic about his support. Instead, Joel and Kai have wanted me to focus on learning to live without battle. Apparently that involves engaging with the culture and innovations of this era.

Between my attempts to study modern science and literature, Kai has insisted that I am boring. I do not think I am; an educated man is a good thing, and by modern standards I was uneducated. I had never learned geography, math, or science, only reading and writing, so I was thirsty to learn more and catch up. Kai has attempted to "educate me on actually relevant topics" by forcing me to watch all of his favorite sports with him, baseball in particular, while I am helping him out at the Omoro. Although I had not liked that sport, I found myself interested in football (or soccer, as he calls it). I could appreciate how enjoyable kicking a ball around was. Kai claimed football was the "inferior football" as opposed to the American variety he watched with his father. That was not in season, so instead he proudly limited the television to showing baseball and I consciously ignore the Omoro's television.

When we are not working, or not busy, he interrupts my studies with lessons he calls "pop culture 101." During these torturous hours he makes me listen to music that is certainly not classical and watch movies and television that would have been considered highly inappropriate when I was his age, or even four times his age. Some I've found entertaining or fun, particularly those based on classic books, but I would never admit that to Kai; only Saya.

To communicate with all of the Red Shield, but mainly Saya, I was given what Joel and David refer to as a "smartphone." While I do not use any of the features they have shown me, I have gotten relatively used to using it for calling Saya and those I am working with. My typing still leaves much to be desired, so I prefer calls. Joel and David gave it to me for communication, and that it how I choose to use it, though Kai insists I should use it or his computer to access the internet. Kai did not show me the useful aspects of it, of course, only the inappropriate ones. Saya had shown me how to use the phone to track world news and help with my studies; David had shown me how to use e-mail for business purposes. Both have been useful, even if I can only answer e-mails with calls until my typing gets better. Julia and Saya teamed up to not only take pictures of Saya and I, but also to show me how to take pictures. I have not used the feature intentionally yet, only accidentally once to take a picture of the floor. I still do not know how to delete it, but Kai refuses to show me because he finds the picture hilarious.

Today, I am taking notes from the e-mails, and writing them into my notebook and planner as I like to do. The only difference is that I am doing this at an airport with Saya and her class. After much fuss, Joel decided I should travel at the same time as Saya's class so I could escort her to her necessary weekly transfusion and pick up some of her surviving dresses from the Zoo that were stored at a museum in Kyoto as part of their collection.

Saya's teachers allowed for me to stay at the same hotel as the class, have the same travel plans, and escort her away from the class on the condition that we would always be chaperoned or away from the rest of her class. Following those rules, I kept myself isolated in my work, away from her. That had not stopped her classmates from casting gazes at me: the females in keen interest, and the males in anger.

Those gazes followed me through our travel all the way to the hotel. The teachers had allowed me to check in first as they oriented the students, so I allowed myself to quietly slip away into my room for further reading through the night.

* * *

The first few days followed a similar pattern: I would not leave my room until I could hear that Saya and her class had left on their day's activities. When I finally did, it was only to head to another art museum with antique furniture and home decorating collections. Looking for potentially good reproductions and antiques had filled most of my free time. Although I did not buy any of it, I would spend hours sketching, measuring, and photographing any items I felt would be good for any particular room. Because none of the original furniture had survived, it was paramount that we find appropriate furniture to fill the new rooms.

Unlike the past month, there had been no watching over Saya's sleep or no talks of the past and any future we may have. As quiet as I kept it, I was also disappointed to not have her in my arms at night. Certainly I enjoyed it, but I also enjoyed knowing that she would sleep without any nightmares. I could never be certain of that if I was not allowed in her room. When it was finally time for her transfusion, I was relieved to once again be able to touch her.

While her classmates spent the evening relaxing, Saya and I were escorted by her teacher to a clinic that had been previously informed of Saya's need for a transfusion on the trip. Julia had graciously made the appointment for the trip to ensure that it would go smoothly. I had offered to give Saya my own blood, but Julia insisted that we would not be allowed alone together long enough for that to happen. At the clinic, Saya's stern teacher watched as I talked to her in French. Fortunately, he could not understand French. It may have been my younger self's mischievous streak returning or a hatred for the man separating us with his gaze, but I made a concerted effort to speak to Saya only in a series of profane jokes I had heard over the years. She laughed at them – something I had never expected – but it was all for the better as the teacher began to be less cautious about us. He looked down at his phone for the last few minutes of the transfusion and silently escorted us home without any of the prying or mindless questions he tried to ask on the way to the clinic.

Even though the teacher had been more understanding after that incident, perhaps because he was under the impression that we were more friends than lovers, when the free day finally came for me to take Saya to try on some of her dresses, he insisted on escorting us. All three of us waited in the museum's photography studio for the dresses to arrive out of storage. I was slightly uncomfortable with the arrangement, as there was no dressing room. The curator explained to me that dresses were usually only displayed on mannequins, negating the purpose of a dressing room. Instead, they had set up heavy curtains in a corner to block off the changing area.

After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, boxes of dresses were brought out. These dresses were worth many thousands of dollars with their age and condition. Most were from at least two years before the incident that had destroyed the Zoo. Old dresses that were in good shape were preserved and kept at the Family's apartment in Paris by request of Joel I, who assumed they would be good for future knowledge. Perhaps I had scoffed at his tendencies back then, but considering their spot in this famous collection, it appears he was correct. There were only two surviving dresses from the 1880s – one that I remembered to have been sent into town for the repair of a tear, and a new one that was en route from Paris at the time of the incident. I knew Joel II had found Saya's ripped and stained dress from that terrible night, and I suspected he had kept it, but it was not here. Perhaps it was in another of that family's many storage lockers.

The female curator called Saya back behind the curtain to begin the process of changing. As I knew from helping her dress at the Zoo on occasion, it would be a long and delicate process. The shift would go on well enough, but Saya could not handle corsets well. After 10 minutes of waiting, the curator called me back behind the curtain. The teacher sent me a glare, indicating that this was highly inappropriate, but I simply went: I could not be punished for doing my job. The curator was apparently having trouble lacing Saya's corset up, so she had asked me to do it. I wondered if I looked the type to know how to lace a corset, but I did. As she watched, I went through my old routine with Saya. It was a well-choreographed process of bending and breathing. Finally the corset was on and I was once again cast out so the curator could help Saya put her dresses on.

The curator had put on a wig and period-appropriate make-up in order to create better photos to send to Joel and the board of directors. The dresses of the 1840s, '50s, and '60s showed Saya as a young woman that I could not know. The large tiered hoopskirts and lace trims fit her perfectly, but I was not truly floored by her image until she donned the bustles and suit tops I knew her for when I met her. The appearance brought me back to my first meeting with her, when I was enraptured with her unnatural beauty and commanding presence. I silently remembered how beautiful she was in those dresses, but also how much I loved helping her get out of them. Although I only took off that dress once in the sense most men think of, when her maids were out I would help her change out of the dress and corset before bed. It certainly had an erotic appeal, yes, but moreso than that I enjoyed the silent simplicity of the moment. It was just her and I, with no expensive jewelry or dresses or expectations, performing a simple task that people of all genders and classes did.

When it was time to take off the final dress, they once again called me back. Completely disregarding the teacher's expression of disgust, I escorted Saya to the changing room to assist her. The curator carefully folded the pieces up and placed them in a box as I removed them. The corset went to another box.

As I was about to leave so Saya could change out of her chemise and into her modern-day clothes, the curator asked if I would help her try on one more dress. This one had arrived that morning for this appointment, and would be sent back that evening. Although this dress was supposedly the most important to try on, we were the only two who would be allowed to see it. I had my suspicions that it was the ruined dress. Unlike the others, there was no intent to display it, but I was all too aware that Joel had wanted to order a reproduction of it. Perhaps he wanted to know how the ripped dress sat on her for a better reproduction of the dress in all its glory, or maybe he wanted us aware that it existed.

I helped Saya put on the torn chemise and the worn corset that were in the box. Both were stained with soot and blood. We looked at each other once more before we lifted the dress out together. She silently put it on without my help and I stared at her, trying to keep a blank face. We both knew that dress had meant so many bad things in the past, but somehow it also drew nostalgia. She had worn that dress many times on both good and bad days; she loved it so much she wore it long after it was out of style, including to Joel's party that day. Maybe her donning it again was once again telling us that we were back to those more peaceful days, but in some ways I knew we were both afraid it meant the opposite. She shed the dress, corset, and chemise quickly after putting it on and changed into her street clothes. We closed the lid on the box together, hoping that that would protect us from any change it may bring.

We walked out from behind the curtain that constituted a dressing room together, leaving the boxes of dresses in a pile outside for the curator to mind. After some discussion between us, the curator began to prepare the boxes for shipping to France, and Saya and I were free to leave. And leave we did, even if we were being tailed constantly by her teacher. He even tagged along to our dinner together. Of course he was suspicious that I did not eat, but he did not bring it up. Following the meal, it was time for Saya to retire for the evening. As if to spite the teacher for interrupting our day together with some rather impolite snooping and words in regards to our relationship, I made sure to give her a kiss as we parted. It felt good to act as I wished once again; last year I would have rued the fact that I could not have done that in a similar situation. Saya's teacher hurriedly rushed her away from me, red in the face, as he watched me return to my room out of the corner of his eye.

Only one more torturous day of this field trip.

* * *

The last day was filled with more last-minute requests, this time from the museum. I returned only to spend the day assisting the curator fill out the shipping orders and instructions for delivery to Paris, where they would be stored. I had not realized how complicated it had become to ship things. There were countless forms about condition, ownership, special instructions, insurance, and cost to wade through for each dress. Even though Joel's company would be the ones handling the shipping, he had apparently not decided to skimp on any aspect of this. I contemplated for a long time that night if all of this was necessary. Theoretically, couldn't we just bring the boxes as luggage during our next journey to France? But Joel did not believe in theory, only in what he knew about his shipping empire, which I now suspect to be mostly paperwork.

The next morning I was only too happy to return to the Omoro. Sure, Kai would tease me endlessly about any number of things I did not know about the modern day, but that was better than paperwork. Above all else, I could not wait to hold Saya once again.

* * *

A/N: That took a while. I hope you liked it.

I just realized that when writing from Haji's perspective, I don't use dialogue in his narrations. It suits him more because it's rather silent. With how stoic he is, his internal monologue must be so well developed, and he doesn't say much anyways so why would dialogue be necessary? I'll call it a happy accident.


	7. Short Stories - Kai

A/N: Last chapter ended what I had planned out (for the most part – after a time skip), so I feel like this would be the appropriate time to institute that time skip, or rather to provide the prelude to it.

I wanted to shift back to Kai's perspective for this, because I think it will make the most impact or at least be the funniest. It's a short chapter with a collection of small story lines or plot bunnies involving Kai dealing with Haji that went nowhere in my head. There's a bit a humor, shiphappy implications, bittersweetness, and Kai being annoyed about stuff, so just read what you want to out of this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

A Day (Or Whatever) In the Life of Kai

Told from Kai's perspective

* * *

 **Clingy**

Haji and Saya had been back one week – one week – from the field trip, and I was already sick of them. Before the field trip and after whatever happened at Julia's they were beginning to act more disgustingly clingy. Well, maybe not disgustingly clingy, but as clingy as I would imagine Haji ever being. Now it was getting obnoxious. He would wait outside every room she entered when she was home if he was not allowed in. When he was, I swear I couldn't get them more than a foot apart.

At least there was no physical affection around me beyond hand-holding. After _that_ night, I decided I shouldn't even give 'em ideas with any teasing. Like I wanted to walk in on that. I'd already walked in enough times on Haji kneeling next to her bed, stroking her hair, or feeding her. At least that second one was necessary. Well, probably not. I mean, she did get transfusions regularly, but I was no Julia to say what she should do.

* * *

 **Twitches**

After the field trip, Haji had brought another problem with him. Apparently the girls from Saya's class and school had caught on that he worked here and were happy to make themselves at home after school hours and on weekends.

If Saya was at track and field and Haji was manning the counter, a horde of school girls would come in. The shrieking symbiotic blob of pleated skirts and neck-ties would gather around him, trying to give him gifts or notes containing their confessions to him. The more polite ones would sit at the tables and stare at him dreamily instead. At least both groups bought stuff from us, probably because they wanted their "beloved's" cooking.

Any joy to be gained out of this was from Haji's reactions. Sure, he'd been gaining more of a personality recently, but that didn't mean his stuffiness had suffered for it. With every girl, he'd try to be polite at the very least, but as the afternoons went on and more girls came to declare their undying love for him, I gradually saw more twitches come to his face. I spent time slacking off on my duties to classify them.

The eyebrow twitch is for when he was concentrating on something, usually cooking, when a girl would approach.

The very slightly different eye _lid_ twitch was reserved for repeat offenders that he recognized.

His lip twitches when he is trying to make up some BS to say when he turns down girls. For some reason, he and Saya still wouldn't admit they were dating or whatever, and I think that was most of the problem – he wasn't good enough at spouting BS in Japanese yet. Who knows about other languages? I tried to give him tips on how to do it right, but you know, propriety and all that.

His hands twitch when "accepting" a gift. I think he initially gave them back, but after finding Saya liked chocolate, he would take the gifts to give to her. Together, they'd hold weekly fires by the beach to destroy the cards. I'm still not sure if they find it funny or what, they just do it. One gift that contained a very nice pair of men's earrings he did keep and wear, probably because Saya liked how they looked on him or something. The girl came in the next day and nearly had a heart attack at him wearing them.

I've seen the elusive combo twitch only once – when a particularly obsessed girl refused to leave until he recited a love poem to her. I tried to get a video of it, but by the time Haji had noticed I'd noticed he claimed the need for a bathroom break and promptly sauntered out the back door to the living quarters until Saya came home.

Sure, he says he's not annoyed by all this, but I know better. Surely Saya does too, and that's probably why I laughed today when Saya came home early, saw the fawning crowd, and do something totally out of character for her: she grabbed Haji's shirt over the bar and gave him a kiss on the lips. Haji's twitching stopped, and Saya's eyes shown with a devious glint she let go. Saya played the shy, embarrassed schoolgirl as she walked past her furious peers, but I'm sure she saw this as a victory. Perhaps Haji wasn't the only one gaining his old personality back: Saya was showing the part of her that was a spoiled young lady not wanting to share her toys.

* * *

 **Parenting**

I wake up with a start: who the hell calls at 3 in the morning? Without bothering to check the caller ID, I pick my phone up. "Who are you and why're you calling me?" David's voice is rambling on about something on the other end. I hear something about Julia and a baby and me taking care of babies and something. "Sure, whatever," I say before promptly hanging up.

Just as I'm about to pull my covers over my face to go back to sleep, I hear knocking on my door. Who the hell knocks on my door at 3 in the morning? I just groan. Haji's voice calls from the other side of the door: "Kai, are you prepared to meet David, or would you like me to?"

I rolled over and sat up. "What?"

"David had called me. He informed me that Julia had gone into labor, and he would like us to take care of Diva and Riku's daughters. I recommended that he should call you, which he agreed to." So that was what that call was about. At least someone was on top of things. As of two months ago Joel decided to have Julia and David care for Hibiki and Kanade until I could show I knew how to take care of babies. Previously he had cared for them with his new girlfriend or whoever that hot lady by his side was, but once the military and UN hearings were done he had to get back to his busy work schedule and needed to give them to someone. Maybe this was the chance to show I could take care of them so I could finally get custody.

By the time I make myself presentable to show off to David, Haji had already met David at the door to take the supplies and the girls themselves into the living room. I almost hate myself for suggesting that Haji should go up and sleep with Saya, but he refuses. Instead, I watch dumbfounded as he successfully sets up their playpen and takes them out of their stroller one by one. He places the sleepy girls in it before setting up the port-a-cribs and transferring them there. I wonder why he is the one that can't have kids – at least not with anyone alive – if he's the one with all the parenting skills. When did he even have to deal with babies, let alone seemingly year-old inhuman babies?

I try to quietly leave the room as one of the girls begins to cry, but Haji's stare draws me back in. He picks her up and silently begins to rock her to sleep. I approach cautiously as Hibiki begins to calm down. Haji carefully hands her to me before picking up the now-crying Kanade. He walks to the supply bag to grab some formula, which I see Julia has infused with blood. I get one container and spoon handed to me while he keeps the other. I try to follow suit as he sets Kanade up at the kotatsu and begins to give her food. Unfortunately Hibiki's not cooperating. Haji silently suggests that I change her diaper. Maybe that's why her to me, he didn't want to change her diaper.

While I struggle to get Hibiki still enough to change her, Kanade falls back asleep. I turn to where Haji was so I could beg for help, only to find empty space: he had left Kanade in her port-a-crib for me to handle.

Maybe he knew as well I did that I needed to learn this at some point if I wanted to care for them permanently. I turn back to Hibiki, figuring there's no better time than now.

* * *

 **Obvious**

It was late August now – one month to the day after Julia and David's son was born, and one month since Hibiki and Kanade came here "temporarily." So far it seemed they were here to stay. That meant I was getting really busy. At least Haji was picking up my slack at The Omoro, and the extra income from floods of schoolgirls and American expats had allowed me to hire an extra employee part-time. I didn't dare send those two to daycare with their tendency to make trouble out of everything.

Saya was towards the end of her summer break – during the first week of which she and Haji had ditched me to go on vacation to New York. Well, it wasn't really a vacation, because it was necessitated by the discovery of a few rogue chiropterans at a previously unknown facility, but they did get to hit all the landmarks in their spare time. Saya helps to babysit them when able, but she has begun to sleep more again.

I think Haji can tell that her hibernation is indeed coming. Instead of his previous reluctance to show her any physical affection when I was in the same building, Haji had begun to spend all of his time showing Saya how much he loved her. And how! If I had not grudgingly admitted to myself that I would do the same in his situation, I'd probably have kicked him out of her room or something.

It wasn't their relationship – we were all okay with that. It was the fact that they had begun to shove their affection in my face. I don't want to see anyone getting hot and heavy in my face, but I especially don't want to see my ex-crush and sister-figure with her creepily devoted knight/servant/whatever-he-is.

The problems started soon after they returned from New York. The night after their return I had gone down the street for no less than 10 minutes to buy some eggs when I returned to see Haji and Saya making out on the couch. A few nights later, I came back from the Omoro to use the bathroom, only to find Haji with his hand up Saya's shirt.

They had become more discreet about their activities, or stopped them, but I did catch them again. When Haji was late to help out on a particularly busy morning, I stormed up to Saya's room only to find a shirtless Haji waking Saya (who was wearing said shirt) up with a kiss. Although I didn't end up asking them to, both showed up to help soon after. The worst incident happened after I had went to bed last night. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, only to find Haji and Saya had decided to take a bath together. At least that time they waited until after I'd gone to bed.

Sure, Haji's great help, and sure, I love Saya, but I also know when she goes into hibernation, I won't have to put up with this crap anymore, and that when she comes out of it I'll likely be too old to care.

* * *

 **Goodbyes**

It was late at night in September when I got the first inkling that something was up. I heard Haji up and about, followed by the noise of the door. While this was not entirely unusual – he did go out to hunt for blood on occasion – it was unusual that he would be so loud and clumsy about it. I got to the window just in time to see him running out of the back door with Saya in his arms. He was gone before I could ask any questions, so I sat up until he returned.

For once, Haji said more than a few words to me. He explained that Saya had gone into her long sleep so he had brought her to the family tomb. Something about this time was different, but he couldn't explain what it was. I could tell he was worried. If he showed any emotion, especially worry, something was very wrong. I decided I would press Julia for answers later, and posted a note to say the Omoro was closed for the day.

Without collecting his things, Haji left. I found his note a few hours later. Even though he liked to watch over Saya, she had asked him to go pursue his goals while she was asleep. Without knowing it the two of them had somehow gotten him admitted to and enrolled at an American college, and a prestigious one at that. His overly elegant handwriting explained that he would be studying biology, history, and music, so he would be very busy. I don't even know how he expects to return here periodically like the note says he will. That's not to mention I expect Joel will make him take business trips to France for whatever he's working on there.

I look at Saya's room once more, I close the door on our past, but only temporarily. We hope.

* * *

 **Updates**

I hadn't given a flying shit about keeping up with Haji. He's my sister's boyfriend, not mine, and as long as he visited her like he said he would, there wasn't much to keep up on. If I tried, I'd just be annoyed by his perfection. Was there anything the man couldn't beat me in? I knew cooking, cleaning, looks, parenting skills, smoothness with the ladies, and intelligence were just the beginning of a long list. His project with Joel was going well, so much so that I had heard he was hired for another restoration project in Paris. His grades (of which I had accidentally received a transcript once) were near perfect, but what could you expect of a guy who never slept or ate, hated modern entertainment, and had no social life? What else would he spend his time on but studying?

Haji did come to bring gifts to Hibiki and Kanade. Both had grown into active toddlers and delighted in chasing Julia and David's son down. They were currently going through something like crushes on him, which would probably (hopefully) soon pass. Even though I knew they were as indestructible as tanks, I wasn't about to let them be hurt by anything, especially David's kid. He was the heartbreaker of the daycare, or so I was told. So far, we had succeeded in keeping them equal in every way in an attempt to avoid conflicts, but who knew what would happen once they got more of their own interests and hobbies.

Julia, along with caring for her son and working at the office, had been monitoring Saya's state of sleep. There's some indications that she may be waking up very early – only around two to three years from now – but we couldn't know for sure until she actually wakes up. I haven't told Haji yet, but I bet he'll be coming around much more with the good news. If it really is that.

* * *

 **Awakening**

Julia's estimations had been right. I was awoken by the twins when they ran into my bed screaming about an intruder. I grabbed my gun, slowly edged down the hallway, and turned the lights on only to find Haji carrying a naked, gooey Saya towards the bathroom. It was a relief and marked a joyous occasion, but of course Haji had to ruin it by shamelessly carrying my sister naked into the house. I didn't want to think about what they'd do in the bathroom.

Then again – did she even remember who he was? Julia said something about her needing to drink Haji's blood to remember anything after hibernation, but I couldn't be sure if she'd drank it or not. It was probably best not to think about it.

I could hear the water running into the bath tub, so I returned to my room.

"Kai! What's going on?" Hibiki was the first to ask.

"Kai! Where's the intruder?" As usual, Kanade followed in turn.

"Girls, it's not an intruder. Uncle Haji came back for a visit," I explained. They loved Haji. I didn't know why, they hardly knew him, but they loved him. Maybe it was that he brought them exotic treats from his travels. That was probably why they jumped up to run out of my room. "WAIT," I yelled before they could get a (potential) eyeful.

"Why Kai?" They spoke in near perfect creepy-twin-esque unison.

"Uncle Haji is probably tired. He arrived late," I replied. Usually I could lie smoothly, but these two were perceptive. They knew if I was bluffing most of the time.

This time was not one of the exceptions to that rule: they told me they knew he didn't sleep. Whether this was a childish assumption due to his odd habits or real knowledge of his condition was lost on me.

"You caught me, you caught me. Your Aunt Saya woke up. He's trying to get her settled here. Why don't you two go to bed so you can meet her tomorrow?"

"Do we have to?" That creepy twin voice was almost more motivating than their giant puppy dog eyes. Almost.

"Yes," I said, tucking them in to my own bed, "I'll be back in a minute."

I walked out to see Haji had not joined in Saya in the bath. Instead, he gave her a slow and careful sponge-bath to remove any goo, and placed a shirt on her so he could carry her to her room. She looked at me in confusion as they passed. Perhaps Haji's blood hadn't gotten into her system yet. When her door closed, Haji came into the hallway to talk to me.

"Saya is awake, as I am sure you are aware," he informed me, formal as ever. I nodded. He continued, "I fed her my blood, but she is still feeling the effects of sleep. It may take a day or maybe up to a week in order for her to fully awaken. I will stay by her side until then, so I will not be able to help you or your daughters."

I nodded, understanding I would have to wait a big longer to see my sister again. The last of the wait was always the worst, and it was certainly more painful to have her here than in the tomb. She was so close physically, but so far mentally. The only thing that made the wait worth it was seeing her smile three days later as she recognized not only me, but also the fact that she had awoken early. Life can only go up from here.

* * *

A/N: So that's the time-skip stuff. Next-up is Haji revealing "his" project (with Joel) to Saya. How will she react when she is returned to the place that holds both her best and worst memories for its grand reopening?


	8. Chapter 5 part 1 - Haji

A/N: So this overlaps with the last story, but it's from an entirely different angle – one more towards what future one-shots will be (of which I only have a few more ideas). This is the first half of a two-shot.

I also think it's interesting to see differences from Kai and Haji in their perspectives and such. I feel Kai's more mature than before, but still (as the shorts demonstrated) a bit petty and immature on personal issues. Haji's coming back into his immaturity in his internal monologue now that he doesn't have the pressure of battle, but is trying to pretend that immaturity hasn't returned. While Saya was asleep, in college, he did a relatively good job at this because he attended a school where lots of other people were very studious, but this is a year or so after he's graduated and has been living in France, working on Joel's project. Saya's also out of school, so I think they'll try to return to normal life, if such a thing exists for them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Cracks in the Façade

As told by Haji

I had been working full time to finish the decorating of the rebuilt Zoo for one year. Frankly, I did not enjoy the job. I had never liked the Zoo; it was Saya that kept me from running away. The joint interests financing the project were only making the job worse.

The overseers from the French government thought they always knew best. They wanted to put in pieces of furniture in the wrong rooms or lay out rooms in a way that I knew would not have been fashionable or acceptable in that era. In some cases, I was forced to relent, but in others they eventually deferred to my position. Perhaps my silence held as much power as their loud mouths. Other things they wanted, such as French nationalistic memorabilia from the era, would have to be left to the exhibit hall downstairs. I understood why they did not know that Joel Goldschimdt did not care for any politics, so I had to give them a lengthy explanation before the accepted the fate of those museum pieces.

The corporate sponsors, including the Goldschimdt shipping empire, insisted on installing large gaudy plaques with their logos to demonstrate their contributions in the entrance hall of the estate. I silently showed my disgust.

Historical societies may have been the worse. I had no objections to them spinning facts or saying the place was evil. I was even fine with their account of the destruction of the Zoo, even though it was mostly false. All of that went a long ways to assure the public that Saya and I had died, which was a good thing. Everyone, including us, wanted Saya and I stay entirely anonymous, so anything working to silence the urban legend that we were living as immortals would work in our favor. What I did not like was that because of that anonymity, the stuffy historians refused to believe a 22-year-old man would know anything about historical architecture or interior design. They fought tooth and nail against my opinions on that front until Joel's cabal of corporate men threatened to kick them off the project. Some of the historians would later apologize and admit that I was correct in the decorating while others ignored me and went about their business separately.

When I felt that familiar feeling in my gut – the sense that told me Saya would be awakening soon – I was sitting in a meeting with all of these interests at a hotel in Paris. It was only three weeks until the opening of the Zoo to the public, so meetings had become more of the norm than work. Every meeting seemed interminable, and I was anxious to leave them. This was the first time I had an excuse to leave a meeting, and would likely get me off the hook for a week more's worth of them. For the first time, I texted someone during a meeting: Joel, asking to leave. I could see the look of shock upon his face when he noticed who it was from, and he immediately called for a break in the meeting.

He asked if Saya was waking up. I am sure he knew Julia suspected it would happen soon, so I was not surprised by the question. In line with the stoic behavior I preferred to show the public, I replied with a curt nod.

"I'll take care of everything. Go to the airport and I'll book the next flight out for you to Okinawa," he assured me. "I can get you out of meetings for the next few days, but I need you back by next week. I'll book a return ticket to Bordeaux for both you and Saya, in the case that she wants to or needs to stay with you." I nodded in thanks and ran to my room to grab the overnight bag I had prepared for this situation. On my way out, I heard Joel trying to explain to the other meeting attendees that I would have to be gone for a week. While some were ambivalent about my departure, others began to worry that any finishing touches on the decoration would fail without the guidance of the project's lead historical design consultant. I am sure the historians will be more than happy to take up the job in my absence. They certainly were pleased enough to hear I was attending this particular meeting six hours away in Paris.

* * *

I arrived in Okinawa only an hour before I thought Saya would wake up. I could never be sure when it would happen, but I knew she usually woke up roughly 24 hours after I first sensed the signs of her awakening. That made me rush out of the airport. The traffic, as shown by the phone I finally accepted the purpose of, was too bad to get me to the tomb in time, so instead I walked to the forest and began to run through the trees towards where I knew she would be.

Upon arriving at the tomb I thought I had about a half hour before she would be waking up. Instead, I found that she had already begun to claw her way out of the cocoon. Her long hair was tangled around her as her arms grasped the floor, trying to provide her the leverage to fall out. Previously I had not helped her, but this time I felt as desperate to get her out of her cocoon as she was. I grabbed her hands and pulled her to my chest.

As usual, she was naked, but unlike usual I felt unashamed. It felt selfish, but I was glad to have her here in the flesh once again. This time would be the first time she awoke not to war, but to the life she wanted. It was certainly the same for me: her awakening gave me time to spend with her untainted by battle. This whole time awake we could focus on travelling the world as we had once wanted.

I took my time to bite my tongue, open her mouth, and kiss her to give her my blood. She moaned as my blood flowed into my mouth. I began to feel the familiar electricity of arousal during the kiss, but I knew I could not do anything right now. Even with my blood, she would not be in her right mind for another day or so. Tombs were also not the most appropriate place to celebrate the reunion of lovers. Before I let myself forget that, I pulled back from her lips and picked her up.

The trip back to the Omoro went quickly, and getting inside was easy with my seldom-used key. I was somewhat surprised the locks had not been changed, but I was not disappointed. The only problem I faced came as Kai entered the hallway. His disgusted face in reaction to Saya's naked body was amusing. Kai was more disturbed seeing me with his naked sister than he was happy to see her. Perhaps it was the goo.

I ignored him and continued my trek towards the bathroom, where I turned on the faucet for the bathwater. I put her in the bathtub while I removed my shirt and jacket to place them in the laundry. Before the water reached her waist, I turned it off. In this state, Saya could act childish, and I was not about to get water splashed all over the bathroom. Instead, I grabbed a bar of soap and a towel with which to give Saya a sponge bath. As was my ritual when she awoke, I began to slowly wash the fluids from her cocoon off. First I cleaned her face and arms, then her legs. The torso came last – perhaps because by that point I had adjusted to the sight of her naked body enough to clean her with no distraction. When I was finished, I dried her off with a fresh towel and grabbed the old shirt out of the overnight bag I had prepared. I helped her put in on the shirt before carrying her to her old room, which I assumed to be empty. Kai had been standing in the doorway as we left the bathroom. How long had he been there, watching this ritual? If he had not proven himself to have an unhealthy fascination with Saya before, surely this would have proven it.

Kai waited for me outside of Saya's room as I went to tuck her into bed. Tonight I would not ask him about what he had seen in the bathroom. Would I ever dare? Deciding what to say, I walked out of her room and silently shut the door. "Saya is awake, as I am sure you are aware. I fed her my blood, but she is still feeling the effects of sleep. It may take a day or maybe up to a week in order for her to fully awaken. I will stay by her side until then, so I will not be able to help you or your daughters." He nodded. At that, I turned to return to the room my queen slept in.

* * *

Sun streamed through the curtains as Saya awoke the next morning. "Ha… ji?" She said sleepily. Apparently my blood had begun to wake her up.

"Yes, my queen?" I asked. The question was two-sided: to figure out what she needed, and to see if she would get flustered and annoyed by my pet name for her. If the later was true, Saya was nearly back to herself. She blushed and looked away from me. That was not good or bad – it could be that she only remembered recent happenings. Older memories took longer to return to her, after all. To go back as far as the Zoo would require a week at least, but more likely two or three.

"Food?" This time upon awakening Saya could not get more than a word out at a time. Hopefully that was fixed by the end of the day. Hibiki and Kanade would certainly annoy her with their questions. To avoid their morning burst of energy, I patted her on the head, told her to stay still, and went to find breakfast to bring to her room.

It was fixed by the end of the day. She was able to relate to me her name and some of her history with Diva. As I tucked her into bed, she even stole a kiss.

By the end of the week, she was back to normal. Gaps in her memory still occurred with the Zoo, but she could remember most everything else. I comforted her as she remembered Vietnam and laughed as she remembered her first time seeing Kai drunk. Julia had performed a check-up and transfusion. Kanade and Hibiki played and talked with her to no end. Before I knew it, I would be returning to France. Saya was having such a good time with Kai and her nieces that I felt the slightest bit guilty asking her to come with me to France. Even though I should not have been surprised, I was when she agreed to go. Kai and company would come too, but on the previously agreed upon date: a week in the future.

I helped Saya pack, and then we were off to the airport to begin a new adventure.

* * *

A/N: The arrival in France shall be covered in the second half of this two-shot that will be posted at some point or another.


	9. Chapter 5 part 2 - Haji

A/N: This is related to Chapter 6 of Nights and Days of Our Lives (the more citrusy/fluffy companion fic). Parts of that chapter won't be covered in this, but some will be mentioned or covered from Haji's perspective. It will be kinda long, and there will be another little extra bit at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

Return to the Zoo

Narrated by Haji

Almost immediately after landing in France I had to say goodbye to Saya. The men and women working at the Zoo demanded my presence. Because of all the negative feelings both Saya and I had about the Zoo, I had not yet told her that it had been rebuilt with my help and was about to be opened as a museum. That would have to wait until the last minute. Now that the last battle was over, it is possible she is ready to face it, but I do not want her to do it while I was being constantly pulled away for work. Next week the previews would happen, so I could accompany her around with the crowds. Saya would be spending the week in Paris with Mao while I went straight to Bordeaux.

Every night that week I talked to Saya on the phone, asking about her day. Much to my relief, Mao had not bugged her outside of getting Saya to buy new clothes. Even if Saya did not want to buy them, she did need them, so I would not try to stop Mao. It was also good to know she had someone trying to occupy her time if I could not. Saya is not a busy body, but sitting in a hotel room for a week would make her antsy when she arrived in Bordeaux. That was not necessarily a bad thing, but considering the bore of the parties and appearances next week, we would not be able to do what we wanted around the Zoo. Once the public tours started the week after that, there would be more freedom.

She arrived today, ending my week of torture. She stepped out of the train station with Mao, wearing the wine-colored jacket I had gotten her last time we were in France. There were still noticeable seams where we had repaired the tears it got in battles, and some small marks in the fabric where the blood stains had not come out completely. Saya had warned me on our call yesterday about Mao's apparent curiosity about us, so instead of a more amorous greeting I said her name and grabbed her hand to lead her to the car that was waiting outside for us. Saya was a bit surprised to see me in the driver's seat. I forgot to tell her that I could drive now. We packed her heavy luggage into the trunk along with Mao's much lighter duffel bag. Just how much had Mao bought for her in Paris? We arrived in France with one small suitcase for her. Now there were two over-stuffed dress bags, two large suitcases, and the small one she had come with. I was borderline horrified when Mao brought a shopping bag full of shoe boxes to the car.

I still hadn't told Saya where we were going when the car began to move away from the train station, but I could tell she was recognizing some of the scenery from six years ago. The car ride would take an hour. I had time.

"Haji. Are we going to the Zoo?" That came sooner than expected, or perhaps just sooner than I had hoped. She knew she was going somewhere in Bordeaux, and she knew what was there. Not wanting to speak, I nodded.

"Is this what you've been keeping a secret from me all these years? Is this what Joel was doing?" Mao sat in silence, sensing the tension.

Being honest with Saya was what I valued. I had never lied, just not told her details. In some way that was worse, but now I needed to put aside my worries about the project and tell her. "Yes. After the incident at the Met drew much media attention to early illegal human experimentation, using what they thought was happening at the Zoo as their prime examples, a few government organizations and companies wanted to use the property to create a museum dedicated to both education about the wealthy science-focused men like Joel. He eventually caved with the agreement that his family, including you and I, would be able to have full access to the property."

"What has the public been told? About us, I mean," Saya asked him. She had avoided the question after she awoke, hoping it wouldn't need to be brought up.

"You are called The Queen. You and Diva were adopted by Joel as newborns and went through illegal experiments that attempted to prevent aging. The experiments finally worked when you were in your teens, causing ridicule from Joel's friends and family along with fear from the locals, while Diva was kept locked up. I am called The Knight. I was brought here after a string of boys to be your companion when Joel realized the experiments would not stop his demise. He recreated his success with me only days before his death. They do not know if we survived the incident at the Zoo or not, but it is believed we did."

"I know they're aware you haven't changed your names, so they would want to prevent those from leaking, but did the replacements have to be so dramatic?" Mao asked. Saya blushed.

"I had no say in the names. Joel suggested we use the code names from the Red Shield, not mentioning what they were, and the board agreed the names were good. They make for a good story to market. They changed 'chevalier' to 'knight' to keep the language of the names consistent," I explained. I was well aware those were dumb names, but the reason they are being used is important enough for me not to protest. "They are calling Saya's room 'The Queen's Room' on tours as well. That is where we will stay when we are in town."

"If it's on a tour route, what will they do if we want to stay in the room for the day?" Saya asked me, innocently.

Mao was quick to pick up on the accidental innuendo Saya had made, but didn't say anything.

"There is an exact replica of the room decorated in blue adjacent to it in honor of your sister. It will be on display if your room is occupied," I explained. Because Joel had not budged on the contract's stipulation that Saya's room be available to her, the investors offered that as a solution.

"So who are we then to them? Who do they know us as?" Saya questioned. Perhaps she was worried that they had been told our identities.

"You are listed as Joel's adopted daughter, an orphan from Okinawa that became acquainted with him through her first adoptive father, George. I am your boyfriend who met you through my partnership with Joel," I informed her. It was hard to come up with good explanations, particularly because there was no paper trail around us. The UN guys were working on it, but due to our physical ages new documents had to be fabricated every few years.

"Boy… friend?"

"A reason for why I am staying in your room with you that will appease most of those on the project. 'Lover' would imply more than we would want to, and we are not technically engaged or married," I said. I wish that was not true, but I had not found time to pick out a ring for her. Whether it served as a simple sign of our relationship or an engagement ring was her decision; neither of us knew if getting married was truly necessary at this point.

We finally approached the Zoo after the sun had set. Some of the electrical lights in the guest rooms and dorms in the attic for workers were on, signaling that the building was finally being brought back to life. Saya watched out the window with a sort of stoic curiosity while Mao stared in awe. I pulled the car into the garage hidden at the back of the building and grabbed a luggage cart someone had left out. I wheeled the cart into the hall and brought it to the large cargo elevator hidden behind a book case.

Saya looked slightly surprised. "An elevator?"

"We needed a system to help bring large bulky objects between floors easily. This was the solution." I took out my ID badge to scan and pressed the key to take us to the third floor. Walking cautiously, Saya went down the hall to where her room would be. I followed with the cart. Mao had left us to find where she was staying.

Together, Saya and I approached the door. I held out the key to her, which she used to open the door. "The door is auto-locking. You can only get in with a key, or if someone opens the door from the inside. We are the only ones with a key outside of the manager here, so we should not be disturbed." I led her to what may have been my favorite feature of the room: where a door once led to the storage closet I had been roomed in, it now led to a lift that would travel directly to the basement and an outside exit. Saya and I would be the only ones with access to it, so it would provide a nice back way into the room if we needed to sneak in or out. Considering the basement was where the blood for transfusions were kept and food was stored and prepared on a larger scale than in the family kitchen, I anticipated that we would use the lift quite a bit. If we need to get out quickly, we could survive a jump from the window easily. "This lift is so we can get in and out quietly, without being noticed by the tours. I will show you how to use it in the morning."

Saya nodded. I left her to begin putting her clothes away and get ready for bed. This time instead of using the lift to the basement, I exited through the room's double doors and walked down the hallway to David and Julia's room. She had not had a transfusion the week before, so I would need to see that it would happen tonight. Julia was responsible to set it up, but I would need to notify her that Saya had arrived. In the meantime, finding Saya food would be an important priority. Her stomach had been rumbling on the car ride. I knocked on the door to the guest room. A small boy, George, answered the door.

"Are you looking for Daddy or Mommy?" He asked in his small voice. His parents weren't loud like Kai, and he had apparently learned that fewer words were more from them despite his age.

"I'm looking for Julia," I replied.

"Mommy!" George called out. "Uncle Haji's here!" I wasn't his uncle, nor was I technically the uncle of Diva's twins, but all three had begun to refer to me as their Uncle. It was endearing, but I still do not know how to respond. It was odder to hear it from George than the twins, after all, if I did marry Saya they would be my nieces twice over.

Julia appeared at the door in her pajamas and a robe. It was certainly inappropriate for a woman to wear to greet a man at the door in her pajamas, but I had to remember this was a different time than when I last lived at the Zoo. "Haji? Is she here?" I nodded. "I expected you a bit earlier, so I brought the stuff up to my room when I realized you would be late. I'll go to your room soon."

"That's fine. I need to get Saya some food, so I will meet you there later," I replied. She went back into her room to get the necessary materials for the transfusion and I went in search for food. No one had gone into town to buy any food for family's kitchen. Perhaps Saya and I would have to do that tomorrow. I headed down to the large kitchen in the basement to find the extra food from the dinner for workers and piled it onto a few plates for Saya. No one asked any questions; most were in bed.

When I opened the door to get out of the lift upstairs, Saya jumped a bit in her bed. Julia, who was sitting next to it to begin the transfusion, chuckled. I placed the tray with her plates on the nightstand next to her bed before sitting down on the bed to hold her hand.

* * *

I got out of bed before Saya was awake the next morning to try to scrounge up breakfast. There was nothing in the family kitchen, so I would have to go to the cafeteria. The number of interns serving as tour guides and workers arriving here for training this week paired with the still adjusting cafeteria staff meant that there wouldn't be enough for Saya if I waited too long. The line was long, but as one of the few down here that wasn't a newly arrived young intern, the kitchen staff recognized me and let me through. Because I looked the same age as the interns, many gave me dirty looks. They questioned my decision to get food – I never had before; I had explained (lied) that I had always made my own food. Their shock increased with the volume I requested, but with Saya I assumed it was better to have more than less.

The tray I brought down from last night was once again full, so I made the journey over to the lift and activated it with my elbow. Saya was up and ready by the time I returned. I hadn't realized it had been that long. She ate in silence before we left for town to go to the market. The chicken coop would not house egg-laying chickens for another week, so I made sure to buy extra cartons of eggs. We got plenty of fruits, vegetables, and meat at the market, as we doubted the food in the cafeteria would be fresh. Unfortunately for her, Saya could not find all of the ingredients for Japanese food. She would have to order that if she wanted it.

David met us at the door to help carry the groceries up. He considered it to be returning the favor for picking up groceries for Julia and David. Curious interns on the first stages of their orientation watched as we brought the groceries down the hall to the freight elevator. Apparently they had not yet learned about the family and friends staying here. Hopefully that would not lead to future problems. I had no idea if they would ever be told because I was not heavily involved in creating the tours they would be leading. All they needed to know was not to go into the Queen's room if the door was closed, and even then they couldn't physically get in.

We used the food to make lunch, leaving the door to the family's dining room open. As the interns passed, one of them winked at me. Apparently they were already after me. Thank god Saya was here to show them that I was not lying about a girlfriend, as one of the historical researchers, Melissa, thought. God help me if she and Saya met tonight. Saya may not be jealousy prone or overprotective of me, but that did not mean I had not seen her get annoyed with the girls who had crushes on me.

Our afternoon was filled with relaxation in Saya's room before the Zoo was set to host a party for the workers, executives, and researchers involved in its reconstruction. The interns would serve as the staff for the party, giving them a chance to network while staying out of the hair of those who had no interest in them.

An hour before the affair was set to start, Mao rudely kicked me out of Saya's room, probably to help her get ready. While I was a little annoyed because I liked to get Saya ready for parties at the Zoo, I knew that Mao was one of the few people I would be scared to challenge on this issue so I gave up and went to David's room. Though I would never admit it, I was anxiously waiting for Saya to be done changing. Julia came back quickly from her trip down the hall to ask if Saya was ready, and told me to just go down.

I wanted to wait, but I sauntered down the stairs anyways to attend the party. More of the female interns tried to flirt with me or give me special service. Some even offered to do the later in bed later tonight. It wasn't until I reached the group of historians I had worked with on the project that they let me go, realizing I wasn't just a family member but also above them in the pecking order. We talked casually, with only minimal barbs from James about ditching him for my girlfriend. James, a graduate student studying early scientists in France, had become as close as I was willing to have as a friend. We would occasionally go watch soccer games together or talk history in the library at the end of the day so I had no problems with his barbs. If Melissa was the one saying it, that would be a different situation.

I immediately became suspicious when Mao entered the room and dragged me away to the edge of the crowd for small talk. She typically did not talk to me outside of the occasional jokes and pointed comments. I tried to keep up as she went through a variety of inane topics in an attempt to distract me.

Everything stopped when a back door to the room opened behind me. I turned my head to see what was going on, only to see Saya in a very short, tight blood-colored dress and a pair of high heels. She looked somewhat like one of the girls in school that were known to be rather loose, but now that Saya wore one of those outfits I understood their appeal. She certainly looked sexy, if inappropriate. I assumed Mao put her into that. Neither of us would have deemed it appropriate, and she certainly wouldn't buy something like that. We greeted each other quickly and I dragged her away from Mao so that there was less chance of Mao noticing what feelings she had stirred up. I didn't want to give her that satisfaction.

We walked over to the historians and decorators so I could introduce her to the people I worked with most. They needed solid poof that I had a girlfriend. Dr. Wallace, the lead historian and a highly respected professor from the U.S. was typically cheery and happy to greet her. He is incredibly smart, and I have my suspicions he knows who we are, but he is food at pretending to be blissfully ignorant. Melissa, of course, did not react well to Saya. She accused me of being a pedophile. At least it appeared she suspected nothing about who we were – the historians were most likely to figure it out. James didn't speak beyond a simple greeting, but he gave me a sly smile. His advisor ignored us altogether, but she was also Melissa's advisor and therefore was likely trying to prevent her from saying anything more.

The decorators, who were more subservient to me, said quick greeting before going back to their conversations. Many people, mainly Joel's friends, were eager to meet Saya. Not because they had any idea of her significance, but instead because all of them were convinced I was using her as a beard. Being together at the party would not convince them, particularly since we arrived separately. I expect them to use their new knowledge to watch what she does the rest of the week to evaluate their suspicions.

After an endless string of conversations and greetings we had gotten outside to the hallway so we could run up to her room and I could finally get that indecent dress off of her.

* * *

Our second day was spent in the room, avoiding the lectures, press conferences, and fancy meals for the newly arrived reporters waiting to publish their pieces on this new museum. Most were legitimate, but some for more gossipy sites and shows had snuck onto the guest list. The ones from paranormal sites that wanted information on the more grim history of the Zoo were the most annoying. They would try to get any quote to take out of context from us.

The third day was tours of the house and grounds for the media, so Saya and I had left early for town. We took a look at all the shops before taking an evening hike through the woods around the Zoo. A run of the "ghost tour," a tour sensationalizing the old experiments and telling ghost stories and local legends about the building, would run until nearly 10PM, so Haji tried to avoid returning to their room until then. When they did, both were exhausted.

On the fourth and fifth days of the preview week, a documentary crew that had been covering the reconstruction, history, and legends of the property was set to film its final scenes. Saya's room was used for interviews and filming of reenactment scenes, so we decided to camp out overnight in Diva's tour. Somehow Saya found the experience cathartic; I found it to be a reminder of our past and frankly wanted to leave.

The fifth day also marked the day when the eight families known to be descendants of Zoo servants and workers killed in Diva's attack would arrive. They would leave the seventh day, with the sixth being one to honor their ancestors killed here. Most of the servants did not have offspring, and fewer had blood lines that could be tracked to the modern day. James and Melissa had been tasked with tracking down any relatives, and managed to track down and contact twenty families. Many of these descendants had long since moved away to other places in France, England, and even the Americas. Only eight of the families agreed to come to these opening ceremonies, with another three or four planning trips for later in the year. The remaining families had no current desire to come, despite our offers for special perks.

* * *

The seventh day was the last day Saya and I were required to stay here. It was the first day of public tours, so workers, family, and friends were dressed in 1880s finery to welcome guests and provide photo opportunities. For everyone but us, costumes were rented from theatre companies and costume shops. Saya and I had recreations of clothes we had worn. Because there was also a formal dinner at the end of the night, Saya would have to change from a day dress to an evening one. I would only have to change my jacket. We had no idea what the other women would be doing.

The morning began early, before the sun rose, in fencing suits. While the room was being made up for tours, Saya and I had decided to spend the morning fencing. After the room was clean, we could return to change into the proper clothes. Instead of staying in the house or out front as we once might have to fence, we took a run out to the lake. An hour later we ran the mile back to the main house and stalked up to Saya's room for a bath. By then we still had two hours to get ready, so we decided to take our time.

Unfortunately, David wanted us out sooner. He was apparently waiting outside our door when he heard Saya making panting noises he interpreted in the wrong way. David was about to yell at us until I opened the door to show him I had just finished putting on her corset. One wonders if he understands that putting on a corset necessitates odd breathing patterns if you plan to do it correctly. Then again, she was the only one wearing a proper corset today, so I wouldn't expect him to know from experience. For emphasis, I shut the door heavily before I began to help Saya with her bustle, skirts, and blouse. Normally dressing Saya would be a privilege; today I was reminded why in our days at the Zoo it was a necessity.

It took a full hour to get her dressed, pin up her hair, do her makeup, and pin her hat on, but the work payed off when I finally led Saya out of the room. Her maroon and black pinstripe dress with black lace edging, gold buttons up the blouse, and a black cravat looked captivating on her. I could have sworn she had walked out of the final days of the Zoo. We walked down the hall, denying requests for photographs as we headed out for a short stroll on the property. Once tours started, we headed to the library to look for old maps of the surrounding woods. We had a plan to hike all the way up to Paris, with some hitchhiking, but we needed to spend today planning a route and finding old ruins to camp in where possible. If we could not, it would be important to map out the towns on the route or to know sections we would have to go quickly on. By the time Saya had to change for dinner, we still had the final leg of our route to plan, so I left Julia to help Saya while I completed the route. At least we had already packed our things for the trip.

The formal dinner arrived, and once again Saya's gown was the talk of the crowd. The front featured a light pink flowery cutout in the bodice and the same fabric draped over a pleated layer of pink. Silk flowers held gathers on the skirt and decorated one shoulder of the dress. Red velvet made up the bustle and bodice while white lace trimmed the edges. She would not have been out of place at even the most exclusive of parties in France. I felt a bit sad I did not take her to one, but at least I would get to take her out of the dress tonight.

Tomorrow, we would be leaving for a journey of our own away from the Zoo and our past.

* * *

A/N: That was SUPER long, so the extra I was going to add to this will be put as the next chapter. I won't document their little hiking trip because I think it would be boring. Honestly, I don't think there's much exciting there. I ship them so much, but I think a hiking trip with the two of them at this point would be highly introspective and generally not much to write home about. Or at least I'd have trouble writing about it. So I won't torture you with me attempting to write an entire chapter I have no interest in writing.


	10. Extra 1 - Who the ! is Haji?

A/N: This is the extra that was supposed to go on the last chapter. As you've probably noticed, Chapters are told by Blood+ characters, while interludes are not 1st person. Extras are written from the perspective of whomever. This one is written from the perspective of James, Haji's kinda not really history bro. Since this isn't added to a chapter any more, it's a bit longer than originally intended.

I love looking into a weird world such as that of Blood+ from the perspective of someone on the outside, so this chapter will be about that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

 **Who the Hell is Haji?**

Narrated by James (the grad student)

Early on the second day of tours Haji ditched me to go to Paris with his girlfriend. I didn't expect him to stay past the opening, but I did miss having him here. The professionals were a lot older than me, and the interns were drunken undergrads only interested in trying the local wines.

Sure, he didn't drink, wasn't interested in modern pop culture, and said absolutely nothing about himself, but he was good company. Haji always listens to you without much care, and he would come with you to the local bars to watch sports with you and be the designated driver. I don't think he liked any of the sports but soccer, but it didn't matter much since it was France and therefore soccer was almost always on.

Haji's an odd guy. He's as pretty as any woman, but still has decent muscles and enough strength to carry more weight than me. None of us who worked with him on the project know anything about him beyond his first name, that he is fresh out of an Ivy League, and that he knows more about the Zoo than he probably has any right to. Oh. And that he has a long term girlfriend that none of us thought existed but apparently does. As much as I hated to agree with Melissa, she did look like a high schooler.

Still, it sucked to not have him and his occasional sarcastic comments here. At least Melissa had left at the same time as him. Then again, would she be as annoying once her target had left? Maybe, considering she was obviously looking for anyone to hook up with. I would have probably been her next target; I was when Haji had left for a week to pick up Saya.

Tonight, Dr. Wallace had invited me to his cottage to discuss my research. I don't know him too well. This summer, Dr. Benoit (my advisor), Melissa, and I were tasked with writing the scripts for the various tours and helping the museum director (who had been called away a lot this summer for conferences) set up exhibits and signs. Dr. Wallace was set to become the head of historical research here, so he had spent the summer collecting and cataloging thousands of historical documents about the region for visiting academics to use. He was intimidating to work with when I did because he was the top scholar in his field: 18th and 19th century European nobility. He was chosen for this role because some of his most famous research was about the scientific hobbies of the nobility. Just being in his presence was incredible, but spending a semester doing research for him was a dream.

The thirty interns that ran the tours, gift shop, front desk, and activities lived along with lower priority visiting scholars like me in the two-thirds of the attic that hadn't been restored to their capacity as servants' quarters. At least scholars had single rooms while the interns were doubled up. We also had a staff lounge with a small kitchen and TV, but I never spent time there. The cleaning and cooking staff along with the interns' managers and permanent employees all lived in town, but used the staff lounge constantly.

It was a bit of a relief to get away from those close quarters as I walked the two miles out to the remote cottages the department heads used. They were not destroyed in the fire at the Zoo, but had to undergo extensive renovations. Now those four cottages stood in a grove of trees along an asphalt road. A fifth cottage sat empty for any new director they needed to hire, but would be used for visiting scholars in the meantime. The museum director, Dr. Wallace, director of biological sciences, and lead veterinarian lived here. The property manager lived on an estate off site. The stable master lived in the carriage house above the stables.

I knocked on the wood door of Dr. Wallace's cottage and waited as I heard his footsteps approach the door. After the long trek through the woods I was grateful to see his scruffy white beard and hear his warm greeting. As he led me to the sitting room, I could see his recently arrived wife was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. When he spoke, it was in French.

"My wife can't speak French, so I hope you don't mind if we speak in it," he laughed. I didn't know what was more intimidating: that I would finally be having a private talk with such a distinguished man, or that I would be having a private talk with him about something he didn't want even his wife to hear.

"Of course," I said trying to sound casual. "I could always use practice speaking, since most of my experience with the language is reading it."

"Well, it's what you speak with Haji, isn't it?" I wasn't quite sure how he knew about that.

"Sometimes. He liked to speak in English. His French can sound like something straight out of one of the old documents we read, so I can understand why," I replied.

"That is interesting, isn't it," Dr. Wallace said rather than asked.

"Maybe he learned all of his French from history classes. I've never asked him about that. It's an odd quirk."

"But you've talked to him quite a bit, correct? I saw you going to town with him frequently this summer." I wondered what he was getting at, but I went along with it.

"Yeah, but he's not much fun. He doesn't drink or share appetizers or anything."

"Did he tell you anything about himself," Dr. Wallace asked carefully.

"No, nothing. He usually just listened to my drunken ramblings. I bet he knows everything about me!" He laughed. "But the most I learned about him was that he actually wasn't gay and did have a girlfriend."

Dr. Wallace continued to laugh. "I was grateful he did. If not, Melissa would've been terrible to deal with this past week. We probably would've had to station somebody outside of his room to prevent her from breaking in. Probably Joel's friend, what was his name? David, I think." I had to laugh in agreement. Never had I been more grateful that Saya existed. I was entirely unaware that he even knew of Melissa's obsession, but then again he did go drinking with Dr. Benoit and the museum manager on occasion. They would gossip to him what he didn't know. "But back to Haji. Are you sure he didn't tell you anything about himself? Anything about Saya?"

I shook my head.

"Well, I've been wondering about him," he said, suddenly less jolly and more quiet.

I cocked my head in curiosity.

"He's always seemed a lot older than he looks. The way he holds himself, speaks, writes… everything about him seems to be more refined than anyone his age these days. I did some searching online, but I couldn't find anything about him anywhere, even about this project. This despite him knowing more than literally anything about this property. He knows things that should have been destroyed in the fire, like the decoration of the Queen's room and who occupied which room on the property. We had blueprints, but nothing that detailed," Dr. Wallace said.

"Well, he's always seemed very smart," I acknowledged. "I just never questioned it. He's very close to Joel's family, so perhaps he has access to records of the property that they never showed us for some reason."

"In anything you read, what did you read about the Knight? I didn't have the time to read much. But I did notice the names of the Knight and Queen were redacted, along with details of most of Joel I's experiments into immortality and anti-aging methods," he explained. "There is no reason for their names to be redacted, unless their names would reveal something they didn't want us to know."

"We would have recognized the names," I said with realization. "You… you think?"

"I think there is a possibility that the Knight got the anti-aging serum shortly before or on the day of the fire. He would have been twenty-two at the time. All they said about the serum that we could read was that it stopped aging, but they did not mention if it gave individuals immortality. If it did, it would explain why the Goldsmith family killed so many trying to replicate the results," he paused. "That's probably why they want to keep as much as possible secret."

"So then, there's a chance Haji's the Knight himself?"

"As much as there is a chance Saya's the Queen."

"Why are you sharing this with me now," I asked.

"I got something this morning, and I trust you with it." He handed me a stack of pages that had been faxed to him. "There was one surviving family of a worker at the Zoo that we didn't find. They found us instead, and sent us this to prove their relation so they could get a special tour when they come to visit in a month."

Dr. Wallace stayed silent as I slowly scanned the papers and processed what they said. The first two were a copy of a birth certificate issued to a gypsy family living in a town near the Zoo and a diary entry. They documented the birth of a baby boy to the family in 1860, the same year as the Knight. The baby's name? Haji. The other three papers contained a single diary entry for 1870 – the year the Knight was brought to the Zoo. It was written by the boy's mother and sisters. They described their sadness and frustration as the father had sold the boy to one Joel Goldschmidt for a desperately needed loaf of bread and was taken to live as a servant at their cursed manor. I looked up from the papers with a dumb look. Could this be real?

"It is always possible that the Haji we know is a descendant. If both Knight and Queen escaped as was rumored it's within the realm of possibility that they had a child," Dr. Wallace said. It was obvious he doubted that reasoning. "But the relative did say he was approach for DNA testing to identify a relative killed in the fire at the Zoo. That's what prompted him to look; they wouldn't tell him who it was they were looking to identify. We didn't request DNA for any of the servants' families to confirm their identity. The bodies were claimed the day after the incident and buried. Those that weren't were identified and buried on site. Haji – the Knight's body was never found."

We both sat in silence for some time, processing what was said.

Dr. Wallace broke the silence. "Perhaps it's better if we keep our mouths shut about this. Joel, or maybe Haji himself, would kill us if we were to accidentally leak this considering the consequences."

I nodded in agreement, but one question had to be asked: "What will we tell the family?"

"We'll figure that out when it comes. They're arriving in a month."

"That's not a lot of time," I worried.

"No, but Haji will be back."

"We can't tell him we know! I'm being honest here – I'm scared he'll kill us," I said.

"Oh, I'm sure he has suspicions that I have my suspicions and I'm not dead," Dr. Wallace assured me. "We'll just have to show him these documents, tell them they're from a family that's visiting, and go from there. He's lonely. Even if he has Saya, he was taken from his family at too young an age. Maybe he needs to know what happened to them, to know his sacrifice paid off."

Once again we sat silently, no longer strangers, but rather holders of a sad story we couldn't tell. It was still to be seen if this was the right choice, but it was one we'd made together, me and the man I'd admired. We would give Haji the chance to reunite with his family.

* * *

A/N: So that sets up the next chapter, which is the last one I have planned out for this fic. When that's posted, this story will be marked as complete, but more may still be added it I feel like it.


	11. Chapter 6 part 1

A/N: As I said earlier, this is the last chapter I had planned out. This will be from a mix of Saya's point of view (because I didn't want to write another chapter from Haji's POV), and that of an original character introduced in a previous extra snippet. The first section will be told from the perspective of Dr. Wallace because it makes sense that way. Their perspectives will switch, and it will be noted. I could see this being a long chapter, but I haven't written it yet, so we'll see?

I really wanted to do it from the perspective of only one character, because it would be neater, but this is the best way to get all the information into this chapter.

I didn't realize I had two Benoit last names hahaha. They're unrelated. I just like that name.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

 **An Unexpected (or Unwanted) Reunion - Part I**

 _Dr. Wallace_

It had been over three weeks since my discussion with James about Haji, and I still had no idea how to approach this. That was unfortunate if only because the man that could well be Haji's Great-Great Grandnephew and his family would be arriving for their two day stay today.

Saya and Haji had not yet returned from their "honeymoon" (as he and James had taken to calling it) to Paris. I had heard a rumor that they had returned at two in the morning, only to scare a poor security guard at their sudden appearance. That was why I made a rare appearance at the morning meeting for the employees and interns. Most of what was discussed involved day to day operations and tour guidelines, but I would be interested in the announcements about which rooms would be off limits to tours that day. None would be closed for cleaning or repair this soon after opening, so all closures would be due to a family visit. I had to sit through ten minutes of worthless information when the information I wanted finally came from the manager.

"So, I'm sure some of you heard the screams last night, but as of 2:15am Joel's daughter and her boyfriend have returned, so The Queen's room will be off limits at least today. Use Diva's room instead. If they wake up early enough to get it ready for visitors tomorrow, we can go back to using it, but I'll keep you updated," the manager droned. I didn't wait to hear the rest of his speech before bolting up to their room as fast as my old legs could carry me.

* * *

 _Saya_

Haji and I had decided to hike from the airport in Bordeaux to the Zoo. That took us an extra day or two to get home, but it was well worth it, and we were in no hurry to get back. The last night we were only two miles away from the Zoo when the sun went down, so we leisurely strolled around the property before jumping the fence and going into the house early in the morning. I was so tired I didn't process the screaming security guard.

As soon as we got to the room, we stripped off our muddy clothes, took showers (separately), and collapsed on the bed. I didn't have enough energy to put my pajamas on and frankly I didn't care. Haji bothered to put pants on and tucked me in, but made no effort to go through his usual bedtime routine before lying next to me.

I was still naked as the day I hatched when a loud knock on the door drew my half-asleep attention away from the window. Haji finally noticed I was awake and rubbed my head. He drew the sheets up and over my back and neck so it would hide my nakedness and put on one of his usual button up shirts before opening the door a crack to answer it.

I heard him greet Dr. Wallace, who I believed was one of the historians I'd met at the cocktail party.

"Can I come in?" A voice said. That must be him.

"Can we not discuss this in the hallway?"

"I don't think it would be appropriate to do so with such sensitive information," Dr. Wallace replied in a tone of voice better suited for David than the professor.

I knew Haji would be angry at me for my reply, but I knew that tone would not be used if a situation wasn't serious. What serious information a historian could have for Haji, though? "It's okay. He can come in," I yawned, rolling to face the door. Haji capitulated to my wishes, but showed disapproval on his face. Of course he would, even covered by two sheets and a thick comforter, I was still naked.

"Just wait one minute," Haji said, closing the door. He reached into the dresser and pulled out the first pajamas he could find: a reproduction of a summer nightgown I had worn at the Zoo. As soon as it hit the bed I sat up to shrug it on, and slipped back under the covers. The whole process had taken less than thirty seconds. Considering Kai's habits of bursting into our various shared rooms over the years, we had developed a routine to get me decent. Haji had gotten into the habit of being decent by default.

Haji opened the door and led Dr. Wallace to one of the plush chairs near the windows. He sat down and handed a thin folder to Haji for him to read. I studied both men's faces as Haji began to read the file. His face became dismayed as he read. After a tense five minutes, the folder snapped shut and Haji handed it back to Dr. Wallace.

"They're arriving today for a two day stay in one of the guest rooms," Dr. Wallace said. Haji nodded.

"You would like me to meet with them, correct?" Dr. Wallace nodded this time. "I'll consider it." Haji paused, and for the first time in the 140 years I knew him, he swallowed nervously. "You will keep this to yourself, what I'm assuming you figured out about Saya and I."

"Of course," Dr. Wallace said. "I understand why that's important. I'll leave you two alone."

He came to the bed and unceremoniously flopped down next to me. I didn't bother to ask what was wrong, but he began to tell me anyways.

"I never told you this, but I had siblings. My youngest sister was less than a year when I came to the Zoo," he paused. "I never heard from them again after coming to the Zoo, and never looked for them myself. It was initially because I was angry at them, but later became I had simply lost interest. You were the only one that mattered to me. Without knowing it, that youngest sister had a daughter and the line went on. My sister's great-great grandson and his family found out I existed and are arriving today for a visit."

"What will you do?"

"I would prefer they would just think me dead," he said. "It's easier that way. We don't want too many people to know."

"I want you to have someone who you can spend time with familiarly when I'm asleep. I cannot always be with you, so I want to know someone is," I said desperately. "And I know you still distrust the Red Shield, even if you do talk to David and Kai. You need someone that you love, a family." I doubted that he would talk to them, but I can try to sway him.

* * *

 _Steve Benoit_

We woke up at the bright and early hour of 7am to catch the bus from the city of Bordeaux to the town where the shuttle to the Zoo museum. I had planned and saved for this trip for five years, ever since I found we had a family tie to the newly opened museum, and I wasn't about to miss the bus to get there. I had wanted to take my family on a European vacation for a while, but there'd never been a good enough excuse to get me to save or plan for a trip. When one came up, my trip was inevitable, even if I did have to make my kids miss two weeks of school for it. They weren't too sad about it.

We were on the last stop of our two week trip through England and France. My wife woke up with me to get breakfast, but the three kids were now into their teenage years and that meant they wouldn't get up with us. They looked like zombies on the way to the bus and I was surprised to see them awake throughout the ride. The town came into view after an hour or so of a boring trek through wineries and fields. The town featured small shops, cottages, and even a few inns for travelers. There was one stately hotel to accommodate tourists coming to the Zoo museum, but most probably stayed in Bordeaux.

We all lumbered off the bus at the hotel and tried to find our way to the shuttle's pick up spot. It happened to take us twenty minutes to find it, even though it was just around the corner. By the time we got there, it was 8:55. Our shuttle was to leave at 9am sharp. I wondered if we were in the wrong place: there was no one there, and the sign indicated the first shuttle left around 9:45 for the tours starting at 10:30.

My teenage daughter groaned, assuming like any teenage girl that good 'ol dad had messed up when suddenly my youngest yelped excitedly. A horse-drawn carriage came around the corner and parked by the door at exactly 9. A middle aged man roughly my age greeted us.

"Welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Scott Benoit and children, I assume?"

"Yes," I replied. I showed him my passport to prove my identity, and he began to pack our luggage into a back compartment. My daughters hopped excitedly into the carriage while my son grumbled about it being too prissy or something.

"The journey to the Zoo should take a little over an hour," the driver said with a strong French accent.

"Does everyone get this treatment?" I jokingly asked.

"No. It is because you are family of a former Zoo worker," he said with an annoyed tone. Apparently like the French stereotype he had little tolerance for tourists. He ushered me into the carriage with my family and hopped back onto the driver's seat.

The ride was bumpy and boring. I thought a carriage ride would be exciting, but I had to agree with my son that it was boring. The female members of my family were much more amused. My wife looked out the window at the vineyards wistfully. My older daughter took plenty of pictures to post to social media later, while my younger daughter excitedly pointed at all the farm houses and wineries we saw. I was incredibly thankful when the carriage entered through a large iron gate and went down a paved road and up towards a beautiful, giant manor. We were let out at the front door and our baggage was unloaded.

A man in a suit who introduced himself as the manager of the property. He had a team of interns lug our stuff upstairs in a cart before beginning to explain what special perks we would get. He was in a rush, and apparently we were too. He left us in the entrance hall at around 10:15, and our tour of the manor would start at 10:30. Immediately afterwards we were expected to have lunch followed by a tour of the gardens followed by dinner followed by a "supernatural" tour of the manor and then bed. I didn't quite know what the supernatural tour meant, considering the experiments that went on here were apparently natural, but it was close to Halloween and at a "cursed" place, so why not squeeze the money out of it? At least we were getting it for free.

We walked the half mile down the drive to the guardhouse where tours began. A young intern who claimed he was from the US came to bring us and another ten English-speaking tourists on a tour. Most of the tour was really boring, so my son and I spent the time whispering bad jokes to each other. I had told my family that an ancestor of theirs' worked here, so the girls were excited to learn. My wife soaked up the architecture if not the tour's narration. We looked in the kitchens and laundry facilities of the basement, and my younger daughter practically drooled at the library. Our tour went as tours of manors tended to: the dining rooms, parlor, sitting rooms, lounges, smoking lounges, and ballroom were all covered. We also heard about the interminable rows of paintings decorating the walls.

I perked up when we got to the servants' quarters in the attic. I was at least interested in the parts that may help us figure out what happened to Haji. The narration told me more than I expected. We got down to the end of the long line of bunks and the few small restrooms to the rooms where the head maids, butlers, and cooks lived. They weren't fancy, but they were certainly better than what the other ones had. One small room next to the room of the head tutor was more along the lines of the normal servants. It was narrow with barely enough room for the small cot. A stool and desk were crammed into the space next to the head of the bed, and what I now knew to be a chamber pot was placed under the cot. One small dresser sat at the foot of the bed. The only color came from a few old books on the desk.

Our tour guide stopped in front of this room to give it special attention. "This room is smaller and more boring than any of the other private rooms on this floor," he stated. "You may be wondering why there was a private room no larger than the space given to each servant. It belonged to a special worker, one who was to be part of the experiments here." He turned to a series of scanned quotes from diary entries next to the door, and read the proprietor of the estate's accounts of picking up young boy after young boy to be companions for his daughter. Is this what happened to Haji? "When his daughter got sick of each boy, or as the boys realized they hated her, they would be brought down the basements for experiments. The last boy in this chain does not have a diary entry – he was picked up by Joel's cousin in town. He was bought for a single loaf of bread from his family in 1870."

It was seeming more likely that this was Haji.

The guide continued his monologue. "Unlike the rest of the boys, who were truly intimidated by the Queen," that nickname was so annoying, "The Knight had more of a personality. When the Queen got frustrated with him for not doing what she wanted him to, he shocked her by telling her that he was not here by his own will – that he was bought away from his family. She then took pity in him, and he became the first to stay longer than a year." That was a relief, that he didn't die young, or at least it sounded promising that he didn't. "When he wasn't spending time with her, he was trained in all the duties performed by servants including cleaning, clothes washing, and cooking; when he was with her, he learned everything he needed to appear a proper companion to her like reading, writing, cello, and horseback riding. If he was still alive, I'm sure he'd make all men seem inadequate – Joel often wrote about making him as perfect a man as possible." He laughed gratefully before moving on from the topic, although he hinted we'd learn more. That was good. I still hadn't learned his fate. I was assuming they knew it if they had to DNA test me.

We went to the final leg of the tour: the family rooms. We began with the cavernous office of Joel. It was the size of the room my office's cubicles were in. Apparently it was still in use by the current patriarch of the family for when he visited, and the managers kept documents in here as well. One of the bookcases lining the walls was opened like a door to lead to a secret staircase the tour guide claimed went to the basement. There was a family lounge that was also used by any visiting family members. I tried to find where the TV was, but I couldn't find it. It was probably hidden behind a fake painting or something. We passed by the many more bedrooms of people whose names I couldn't be bothered to remember along with one room being used to display nightclothes of the era. The evening clothes were kept in the ballroom, the day clothes in the lounge, and the servants' uniforms by their quarters, so I wasn't shocked to see them there. Two of the doors on the hall we'd passed were closed. The tour guide explained that a closed door meant the room was being used by a guest. I knew we were staying in two rooms, so perhaps that's where we'd be sleeping.

After we saw Joel's bedroom the guide brought us to three doors. Two were double-doors like the ones on Joel's bedroom, while one was a much less fancy single door fit for a storage room. Unlike a storage room, it was open. One set of double doors was closed, indicating a visitor was using that room. Or maybe that was a room we were using? Something told me it wasn't.

The first doors the guide addressed were the closed ones. "Behind the closed doors is The Queen's room. The only ones that can stay in it are Joel VI's daughter and one of the historical experts who may or may not be her boyfriend. We're all pretty confused about it," he joked. "Unfortunately, they're in town today, so you won't see their room. You'll see a reproduction of the reproduction with a color swap from red to blue, a.k.a. Diva's Room." Another stupid nickname, but at least without "the" in front of it.

"Although she had free reign on it, the Queen was never allowed off the property. Whether it was because the experiments her father performed on her required daily maintenance or because those experiments changed her appearance in a way that scared even Joel's friends is still up to debate. Joel could never hide the outside world from her because he wanted her well educated, but he didn't want her to travel. Instead he gave her hundreds of small paintings and pictures he had gotten on his travels. On the table between windows, she would keep roses given to her by The Knight," another mention of the boy who may or may not be my relative. "Everything in this room is luxurious. All of the furniture was made with the finest quality mahogany, and the knobs were gold. Every sheet ever put on the bed was silk, and the comforter was embroidered. The dresses she wore, including the one displayed in this room, were made by the best dressmakers from Paris and shipped here. This one is an original that was in Paris for repairs at the time of the fire. A fair number of her dresses from throughout her life actually survived because they were stored elsewhere after they went out of style or in need of repair."

We moved to the open single door in between these overly fancy rooms. Inside, I saw a room similar to that upstairs in the servant's quarters. It looked like a closet that had been turned into a bedroom. There was no window, and the shallow room only had space for a small dingy cot. There was no dresser here, only a rack on the wall to hang suits with a shelf to put other clothing on. The desk and its chair were child-sized to fit the cramped space.

"Ten years after he arrived, The Knight was moved into this literal storage closet next to The Queen's room. Joel realized his current strategy wasn't working. What strategy, you ask? Well, The Knight hadn't actually been brought here to be her friend, he was brought her to be her lover so Joel could see if his daughter was fertile after the experiments. So, to make his goal obvious he not only flat out told The Knight his intents but also moved him directly next door to her," the tour guide explained. Hopefully that went over my daughters' heads. I didn't want to explain to them what Joel had wanted to happen. It begged the question: what weirdo of a dad would try to force a guy to have sex with their daughter? I wouldn't. I didn't even want to know anything about my daughters like that.

"It took nearly two years of living in this room before The Knight and The Queen began to have any romantic relationship. They tried to hide it, but Joel rewarded servants for any credible information about those two. He ordered the servants to not let either Knight or Queen know that Joel knew, because he was afraid they would break off any relationship if they knew. In fact, they were so slow in their relationship that they only consummated it a week before the incident." Well, he lived longer than I expected, but I didn't need to know he didn't die a virgin. Good for him.

"What does 'consummated' mean?" My youngest daughter whispered to me. My son laughed at her while my middle daughter blushed.

"You'll find out when you're older," I said. That talk was not for right now.

"…what happened during the fire," I missed something. "Locals say they thought both Knight and Queen survived, but due to their suspicions they were kicked out. A local hunter said he found a large blood stain at the bottom of a cliff on the property, so it's possible one or both of them died falling off the cliff before the party even started or shortly after. There were no bodies found, but animals often carried off dead bodies into the woods. Most agree that they likely died in the fire." And there's the downer ending. He died, but maybe survived. So I still had no solid answers about what had happened to Haji, other than that he got laid and lived to at least his early twenties.

The rest of the day was about as informative.

* * *

 _Saya_

Haji and I spent most of the day in bed. We didn't do anything other than snuggle. By evening, I figured it was best to leave him to himself to think after he still did not know what to. I was hungry enough that I went down to the cafeteria. There I caught a glimpse of a family happily chatting at one of the tables in the informal dining room. Only guests were allowed to have dinner here, and if the clock was correct it was that time. Before giving into my curiosity and greeting them I grabbed what food I could and ran upstairs to read and sleep.

* * *

A/N: This is getting split into two chapters because otherwise it would be insanely long.


	12. Chapter 6 part 2

A/N: Part 2 of Chapter 6. There's not much else to say here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+

* * *

 **An Unexpected (or Unwanted) Reunion**

 _Saya_

This morning Haji was not at my side when I woke up. It was rather late to be up for me, 9am, but Haji usually followed my schedule. Did he decide to meet his family after all? A note left on my nightstand showed me I was unfortunately wrong.

 _Saya –_

 _I need time to clear my head. I will be back by dinner._

 _-Haji_

It was how he had been during the battle: short with words and cryptic. Maybe he was mad at me for trying to get him to meet his family. No matter the case, I needed to come up with a plan to get him out of his funk either until he talked to his family or until they left. We had few years together as it is, so I did not want us to make bad memories. I packed the knives he left behind in the chest at the foot of the bed and grabbed my sword.

Calling down to the manager of the historical wardrobe, I asked for her to come up with a corset and a reproduction riding habit. Hopefully she would help me dress.

* * *

 _Steve Benoit_

The rooms we slept in last night were as luxurious as a palace. My wife and I were given a king-sized bed with silk sheets while my daughters each had a Queen bed. My son slept on their couch because they didn't want to share.

We slept in until nine today and were each served a gourmet, made-to-order breakfast in bed. I secretly wondered if we could stay here forever. An intern led us to the stables for our horseback tour of the property and picnic lunch. Another family of three from England would be joining us on the tour, so we took a detour to pick them up from the front of the house on our way to the tables.

When we got to the stables, the moody stable-master was talking to a young woman. Her black hair was pinned to her head under an old hat and she wore a dress fit for when this manor was actually in use than horseback riding. In her hands were a case and what appeared to be a sword. The stable-master seemed less than pleased to have her here. They talked in French, so I had to listen my oldest gossipy daughter translate into my ear.

"The guy's angry because she wants a big horse to use," she whispered. "The girl seems to think there should be no problem with it. She says since she's the owner's daughter she has access to the stables, but he says all the horses hate her. She needs the horse to look for someone."

After a good five minutes of banter, the stable master noticed us and decided to give in to her wishes so he could get us on the horses and out of his stables. Only 10 minutes later, as we were just being led to our horses, I saw her ride out of the stables on a massive black and white horse. She had put the case in a saddlebag and the sword was held on the back of the saddle. Although as the stable-master assured the horse was giving her so much hell I could tell it hated her, she managed to keep it under control enough to get it onto whatever route she was taking.

I only found out where she was going later on the tour. We passed a picturesque lake surrounded by trees, where I assumed the rowboat rentals were, with a roman-inspired structure behind it. The tour guide we had (I thanked my lucky stars the stable-master wasn't a guide) stopped to tell us the history, but we were all distracted by the couple engaged in a dance with blades. They weren't easy to make out from this far, but the girl from the stables had hitched the horse to the last column of the structure. Her skirt and jacket were left draped on the horse's saddle, leaving her in a loose white shirt open in the front to reveal a corset and a pair of white frilly capri-like pants. She was using her sword to fend off a young man a whole head taller than her. He was using daggers as a weapon.

My daughter, not the one who translated, asked excitedly about what was going on. My wife, whose horse had snuck up next to mine whispered a joke in my ear. Something about how we were lucky our son hadn't realized her clothes were sexy underwear from 150 years ago.

"Honestly, I've never seen this before on the tours," the guide said. "I think that's the owner of the property's daughter and her boyfriend, but I can't tell you for sure. I've only seen them once or twice. I've heard they're both well-trained in sword play. Some of the other guides saw them practicing fencing in the mornings our first week here." She moved us along on the tour to keep us on schedule.

We passed Diva's tower. It was just a bunch of old ruins, really. The most interesting part was the giant crater at the base of it. Another section of the stone walkway had been entirely blown out to reveal a passage underneath. They had placed a large piece of glass on top of the hole to protect the old bookcases and suits of armor stored inside. We passed a set of cottages where the very highest ranking servants would have lived and saw where the animals that gave the Zoo its name were kept.

Lunch was a fancy picnic at the top of the cliff where The Knight had possibly fallen to his death. They'd put a railing up to prevent anyone from following him. As we ate the free ranged farm animals came by to watch us. The somewhat idyllic scene was interrupted by the buzzing noise coming from our guide's walkie-talkie. She picked it up and walked over to the edge of the forest surrounding us. After the usual talking and nodding, she came back and faced me.

"Steve Benoit is you, right?" She asked with something of a nervous excitement.

"As far as I know! Is something wrong?" I replied.

"The tour will return to the stables at 1pm. Instead of going to the wine tasting you and your wife signed up for, there has been a request for you to meet with someone at 1:30," she answered.

"Do you know why?"

"They wouldn't say, but it's only for you, apparently. You'll just have to find out."

I asked my wife quickly if she would be okay going to the wine tasting alone. Of course she was upset, but I knew she was curious as well so she said I was okay to go. "Sure, tell 'em I'll go," I advised the guide. She walked back to the trees to radio whoever it was that I would be going. While I was in a probably boring meeting, my daughters would be trying on old dresses and having tea and my son would be learning about they swords and armor they kept here. The history department had apparently decided to give them special activities this afternoon as a special perk. And to distract them while their mom and I had a romantic afternoon of wine tasting. So much for that.

Our tour continued back to the manor after lunch. Upon getting back I had a quick shower and dressed in the suit I would wear to the formal dinner tonight. I didn't know how long this would take, so I figured it would be good to be safe.

At exactly 1:30 there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find a sleep-deprived looking middle-aged man. His blonde hair was beginning to grey, and a frown seemed painted on his face.

"Hello," he greeted me in fluent English, "I'm David."

I assumed he was the one I was supposed to be meeting with, so I shook his hand. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm not the one who wants to talk to you, I'm supposed to take you to where you can meet him, but he's not there yet. Instead we'll see if we can go straight to him," David said.

I tried to strike up a conversation, but David wasn't willing to do so. Every friendly advance seemed to freeze around him. Luckily the walk was short. We ended up outside of the door leading to The Queen's room. Once again, he knocked, but this time he used a specific cadence. That was probably to let whoever was inside know that it wasn't some idiot on a tour bothering them.

I couldn't hear anything inside the room, but soon enough the door cracked open revealing the face of the property owner's daughter. I couldn't see anything below her neck. Upon closer inspection, she couldn't have been older than my son, but was probably closer to my older daughter's age. David and the girl began to have a short conversation in French before the door closed again. So, it wasn't her I was supposed to meet with.

"She said he's just finishing something up, but that he'll meet you in five minutes," he said plainly. David led me further down the hall to Joel's office, where a tour was currently looking in the door. Apparently he was powerful enough to part the crowd and get us in with no objections. He was probably one of Joel VI's associates or something. He led me beyond the bookcase that was left ajar for tourists and took me into what appeared to be a board room. There was an old heavy oak table and matching plush chairs surrounding it. Dark wood and wallpaper covered the walls. The room sported no windows, only an electric chandelier.

After having me sign non-disclosure agreement after non-disclosure agreement I began to wonder what exactly was going on. David scooped the papers up and walked to the door. "Wait here. He's usually on time, so I'm sure he's embarrassed to be late and will be here soon. Saya, Joel's daughter, may come with him. I would prefer not to be here for this," he said before leaving. David left the bookcase open.

* * *

 _Saya_

My heart beat as Haji worked to dress me with his shaking hands. He had gotten me a day dress to replace my riding habit so that I would be more presentable by his standards. I bet the riding habit just stunk from sweat but he did not want to insult me.

The knock on the door from David signaled we were late, and his nerves made him slower to dress me than normal. When we were finally done, Haji donned a fresh shirt and waistcoat and led me out the door. We walked past a tour group that was eager to take pictures of me in my dress, but we declined all requests and the tour guide worked to move them along out of our way quickly.

Haji let me into Joel's office first before walking in himself. I sat in one of the chairs to the side. He followed to stand in front of the chair. "Go in alone for now. You can come get me if you need me," I said. Checking if there were any tourists outside the door and seeing none, I reached to pull his face to mine for a quick kiss. He sauntered away towards the aptly nicknamed "war room" silently.

* * *

 _Steve Benoit_

I heard a soft feminine voice in the office outside the room I sat in, and shortly after a beautiful (or was handsome a better word?) man walked in. He closed the bookshelf/door behind him and stood opposite me. The man appeared to be the same one I saw earlier by the lake. If my daughters had gotten a closer look, they would have fallen for him immediately. Any woman would. That's when it hit me: the non-disclosure agreements, the secrecy about the meeting, the Knight and Queen having nicknames, the Knight's story being left vague.

"You're Haji, aren't you? My Great-great Uncle." He didn't look any older than most college students, but my gut told me I was right.

He nodded. "Yes," was all he said.

I stared at him in awe. My Great-great Uncle did not only survive, but was still living well into his 150s and looking as good as a twenty something model. It was a bit much to process, but they did say weird experiments went on here. Perhaps the anti-aging thing wasn't only true, but also conveyed immortality?

Haji remained standing, but seemingly read my need for an explanation. "Everything from the tour is true. I died that day by falling off a cliff. Saya brought me back," he said. I assume that meant that she had given him Joel's formula.

"So… you're the same man, the same brother, mentioned in my ancestors' diary?"

"I would assume so."

"And that's the reason why I had to sign that stuff, right? You don't want this getting out. I can understand why, if that research into immortality destroyed so many lives," I said, referring to the Cinq Fleches and US Military debacle that led to the creation of the Zoo. He nodded again. Apparently he was a man of few words. "What made you tell me?"

"Saya believes I need a family. I am still distrustful of the Goldschmidt family, and you actively sought me out, so she believes you are good candidates," he explained. "She convinced me to meet with you."

I processed that statement. "Is this the same Saya that made you immortal – Joel I's daughter?"

"Yes."

"Is she the woman the staff call your girlfriend?"

"Yes, although that is not correct," Haji stated plainly.

"I was a bit confused for a second there! She looks the age of my daughter, but I guess if she's older than you," it's less creepy, I added in my head. "Saya must care for you a lot."

It was then he'd had enough talking about himself and moved on to asking me what I knew about his family. Luckily I had gone over the genealogy and diary before the trip.

"Your parents only ended up with three children after you surviving to adulthood, all girls. Your father began working in a factory a year after you left and died in an accident there some years later, while your mother died of pneumonia. Your older sister died during the birth of her first child about ten years after you left. The child didn't make it either, sadly enough," Haji remained stoic as I continued. "Your second sister moved to Paris and got married late. She never was able to conceive successfully, but lived a long life. Your youngest sister – my great-great grandmother – left for America in 1882 shortly after hearing what happened here. She married after arriving and had only one child, my great grandmother in 1889. My great grandmother had my grandmother in 1915, along with two others who didn't have children. My grandmother had my mother in 1938, who had me in 1965. I have one older sister and one younger sister as well."

Haji contemplated what I had said. "And your family?"

"I have one son who is nearly 18 and is a high school senior. My older daughter is 16, and my younger daughter is 13," I said. "I'm married to their mother, but we only got around to marrying about ten years ago." Haji looked a bit weirded out, but when I remembered how old he was and what ideals he was raised into, his expression made sense. "What about you? Is Saya your wife?"

"Saya is all but my wife. We do not believe marriage is necessary for us at this point," he said. Well, that made him seem slightly hypocritical, but maybe they weren't sleeping together or something.

The obvious question came up. "So, do you have any children then?"

"No. Immortality does not allow for children. Saya's sister was able to conceive and have twin daughters with help from Cinq Fleches. We occasionally watch over them." He looked guarded in that statement. The closest thing he'd ever have to children were those of someone who had probably tried to kill him or use him for sick experiments. I could see how that would suck. There was not much I could say that I did not feel somehow guilty or awkward about saying.

Haji seemed ready to leave as well. He hadn't seemed comfortable from the beginning. When he opened the bookcase Saya came inside and asked to exchange phone numbers. Even if he wasn't taking initiative for himself, she wanted this badly enough for him to do the work.

I had to ask her as she whisked him out the door. "Any reason for the dresses? Are you coming to dinner tonight? I'm sure my family would like to meet him. I can even introduce him as a descendant of Haji to hide his identity."

She waited to answer until he was outside. "I can try to convince him. As for the dresses, I grew up with them, so I find them fun to revisit." A blush lit her face before she shyly added, "Haji likes them as well, and I want him to be happy." She then uttered out a quick goodbye and left with Haji. If Haji had evaded the sex question well enough, I think her answer gave me ammo. After all, what man preferred a dress he didn't get to take off? Not to mention helping free her from the painful corset that must accompany the dresses probably brought him rewards from her. Victorian era men probably dreamed of doing that all day.

Hopefully he wouldn't be too caught up doing just that to show up to dinner.

* * *

 _Steve Benoit_

Dinner was served at six with the managers of the estate and historians. My daughters chatted excitedly about their time trying on dresses and getting pampered while my son continued to talk to the historians about weaponry and warfare. At least he was interested in something academic now, or maybe he was trying to get information for his make-up essays. The wine for the meal was picked out by my wife, who insisted it was the best she'd had all day.

Neither Haji nor Saya showed up for dinner. I didn't expect them to – they seemed very private and for good reason – but I was disappointed. After the meal was done and it was time to socialize I spotted them. Saya was wearing another dress, this time an elaborate pink ball gown, while Haji wore a suit fit for a Victorian gentleman. They approached my family as a couple, but showed no signs of affection.

"I convinced him to stop by," Saya said after a quick greeting to my family. "We can't be here for long, though." My children didn't pay attention. My son was too busy drooling at Saya and my daughters were almost all over Haji.

"Let me introduce you," I said to them. "This is Saya. She is Joel VI's adopted daughter. The man is Haji. He's actually a descendant of your great-great-great granduncle, so he's off-limits. That's not to mention they're in a relationship. With each other," I added for my son's benefit. I felt a bit bad lying to my family about his identity, but I knew revealing their true identities would mean my head.

Haji shook the hands of each of them.

"So does that mean our great-great-great granduncle Haji survived?" My youngest daughter asked.

"Yes, and you may be seeing more of this Haji. His family all died tragically, so I've offered to host him for holidays," I said, looking to my wife for approval. She looked at me as if to tell me we would be discussing this later.

We engaged in idle chat for about ten minutes before Haji and Saya excused themselves to whatever business they had. The man from earlier, David, had appeared and asked if I would like to share some brandy privately. My wife gave me the signal that it was okay and began to dance with our children.

David led me to one of the sitting rooms on the first floor and locked it behind us. He took a bottle of expensive brandy and poured glasses for us.

"So how did it go with Haji?"

"He told me almost everything, or at least what he was willing," I said.

"And are you willing to keep the secret?" I nodded. "It can be a burden, particularly with those two. They come and go with little notice, so don't expect RSVPs to holidays from him."

"Yes, but won't she come as well? I couldn't imagine them being separated," I said.

"They don't want to, but they must be separated for long periods of time anyways," he explained. "That's why Saya felt he needs your family."

The glasses of wine and the brandy began to get to me, and I began to say things I probably shouldn't. "Honestly, with how close they were, I was relieved she's also immortal. I was worried my relative was having sex with someone literally a tenth of his age!"

David laughed. The brandy apparently was strong enough to get him as well. "You would have been disturbed to see them when they first realized their feelings for each other five years ago. 130 years of built up sexual tension leads to unpleasant experiences for everyone else."

"They took that long? I thought they had sex at the Zoo, which was more than I wanted to know!"

"They did, but they called off any more relations until Cinq Fleches was defeated," David said. "And none of us wanted to bear witness to them either. I think Joel, Julia, Saya's brother, and I all had a long drunk discussion one night about it. Their physical ages made their relationship more disgusting to watch, but we couldn't decide who actually the pedophile in that relationship is. Haji may look the part, but Saya's 30 years older than him."

I laughed. "I'd prefer to think it's Saya. My relative wouldn't be that creepy. But wasn't Joel I the one with the unhealthy interest in his daughter and a teenager's love life in the first place?" David choked on his brandy restraining a chuckle.

"A good point," David said before lifting his glass to me.

"You probably have some great stories about them. Are you their retainer or something?"

"I work for Joel, but one of my duties is to keep track of them, not that it always works," he sighed. "They like to go off into the woods for weeks and travel quite a bit. As long as they do not cause trouble and respond to my calls it is no problem. It used to be, but now Joel has satellite tracking on their phones. They also don't have a propensity to cause trouble, so there's not much for me to clean up." He stuck his hand in his coat. "Speaking of which, here is my card in case you need anything in the future." I nodded. I looked at the time and began to stand up.

"I should be getting back to the party," I said.

"And I should be getting to bed. I'm going back home tomorrow," he replied.

We shook hands and parted ways outside the room.

* * *

 _Steve Benoit_

The morning after the party I had to go back to normal life. We were taken back to the bus station by the carriage driven by the grumpy stable-master. This time, I took the time to look out the back window at the manor. I craned my neck to see the window to Haji and Saya's room hoping to see their faces, but I found them on the roof instead. I suppose when you were immortal heights didn't scare you anymore.

I was somewhat more shocked to see them at the Bordeaux airport when we arrived. While we were taking an economy flight to DC, they appeared to boarding a private plane on the tarmac going who knows where. I thought my life was boring, but Haji seemed to keep surprising me. Hopefully he would surprise all of us by showing up at Christmas.

* * *

 **Extra: Christmas**

On Christmas, I finally got together with my siblings and their families. We talked about our trip to France and showed pictures of our trip to them. I'd rubbed it into my sister's face that I had been the one to follow up on the genealogy and found out what happened to Haji. She was happy, but appeared peeved. Somehow it had slipped my mind that Haji and Saya might come. That was probably okay – if I'd remembered they'd missed dinner it would have annoyed me.

When we were having present opening for our children, a knock came at the front door. Everyone paused. My sister ran to get it, and I heard a voice ask for me, so I left to meet whoever it was. I immediately remembered who had missed dinner when I saw Haji's face. Thankfully, he had brought a gift basket filled with bottles of very expensive French wines. Saya held a bag full of artfully wrapped chocolates for the children.

"Are you going to come in?" I asked them. My sister shot me a quizzical look. I mouthed to her that I would explain later.

Saya moved to accept my offer, but Haji appeared hesitant. They looked each other in the eye before she replied. "While I would love to, we are due to spend the holidays with our nieces in New York City. Haji doesn't want to be late."

Surprisingly, Haji followed that up with his own statement. "When Saya cannot spend the holidays with me, I will come to see you," he said politely. "Tell your family Merry Christmas for me." They stepped inside long enough to drop off their gifts and walked down the drive to a waiting car.

I returned to the living room with their gifts.

"Who was that?" One of my young nephews said.

"That," I joked, "Is a long story." My sister glared at me. "No, actually, that was one of your long lost relatives and his girlfriend. I think he's your fifth or sixth cousin or something. Your Great-great-great uncle went missing, presumed dead, but survived. That's what's left of him," I laughed. Like what David and Haji said, it was _technically_ the truth.

"What he means," my sister said, "is that the man at the door was the great-great grandson of our long lost relative." The kids nodded as my children explained the lie further.

"But they brought gifts for us adults," I said as I pointed out the wine. The kids made sad expressions until I pulled out the chocolates, "and for you guys. There should be one box each." I had told Saya via text how many cousins there were when she indicated they were shopping. I didn't expect one for each.

Back at my house, I found a large box, also from Haji. Inside was jewelry for my wife, designer bags for my daughters, a reproduction sword for my son, and a book on travel for me. He certainly was adjusting to this family thing well with the gifts, but who knew if he was ready for the quirks?

* * *

A/N: That's it for now. I'll mark this as completed, but there's a small chance there may be more if inspiration hits me.


End file.
